A Knight to Remember - Year One, Hogwarts
by kwlgirlbec
Summary: Skye Knight grew up in a muggle world, but she is about to discover that there is so much more. Now is the time to live the adventure, not just read them, or that's what two certain twins recommend.
1. Chapter 1 - Fantasy

**Chapter 1 - Fantasy**

"...probably a Ravenclaw with your head always in books, but then again there is more of your father in you than you know. Perhaps a Gryffindor?"

"Yeah mum, definitely." Skye nodded encouragingly, picking at the birthday cake that celebrated her 11th birthday. Her mother beamed at her agreement and Skye couldn't help but return it.

"I knew it! It's that stubborn headed-ness of yours. Your father would call it his 'determination'." Her mother scoffed, lost in her thoughts. As she reminisced, the room grew silent. Suddenly, she jumped as if startled and began rummaging under the sofa, her brown hair forming a curtain to obscure her face. "I almost forgot," she muttered, arising to shove a squishy package into her daughter's hands.

Handing it over, her eyes grew expectantly as Skye let out a brief laugh at the wrapping. It was a mess, sticking out at angles she didn't think were possible for paper. Then there was the sellotape, guarding every possible entry point into the package.

"It's almost like you don't want me to know what's inside," Skye teased, clawing at potential weaknesses. Despite her hands flushing red with the effort, the package finally revealed a red and gold interior. Freeing it from its wrapping, Skye revealed a scarf.

"It was your father's," her mother breathed, causing Skye's grip to tighten on the material. Immediately, her mother moved to prise the scarf from her daughter's hands and wrap it around her neck. "Perfect, my little lion".

"Rawr," Skye growled, causing her mother's smile to widen.

"It's time to go, Skye," Helen commanded from her space of so-called distance. Skye barely had the time to utter out a 'but' before she was given 'the look'. It was all Helen needed to reign Skye in. She wasn't much of a rebel.

"Well, goodbye mum. I'll see you next week, okay? And the gift was brilliant, thank you." Skye rushed her words, feeling like there was so much to say in a small amount of time.

"You'll look out for the owl, won't you dear?" She almost pleaded.

"Of course I will! I…"

"Goodbye, Mrs Knight," Helen finished.

XxX

Skye felt as if she was dragged from her mother's presence, only managing a final 'love you' before exiting the care home.

"Really, Skye? Do you have to encourage such fantasies?" Helen scolded.

"But it makes her so happy to talk about it all and you have to admit it sounds brilliant. I'd rather go to Hogwarts to learn magic than St George's to study science," she frowned.

"You like science," Helen scoffed. "Anyway, that's not the point. How can she get better with you spouting the likes of endless teapots?!"

"I'm telling you! I must have had about twenty cups of tea and it was still full!" Skye squawked. The corners of Helen's mouth twitched ever so slightly as if amused by the girl's vast imagination. The girl smirked in response, but immediately regretted the action.

"Skye Harriet Knight, you may live with your nose in a book, but it's time you realise that is where your musings must remain in your mother's presence. It's not healthy where she is concerned." Helen's voice was pointed, but there was a softness underneath. It was refreshing to see a child in her care full of life and imagination. She deserved to keep that with her for as long as possible, but it was feeding a poisoned mind.

"I knooow," she whined in response. "I just think that she deserves to be happy. The truth hurts." Helen looked in sympathy at the child beside her.

"But it is the truth," she responded.


	2. Chapter 2 - Reality

**Chapter 2 - Reality**

Skye sat in the armchair of the Rec room placed next to the window. It was her favourite spot to curl up and lose herself in the adventures of a hero. Her eyes scanned over the words, left to right, but inside her heart exploded with the turbulent emotions she felt for their strife. Lost in another world, Skye seemed to miss the hushed hissing noise that filled the otherwise silent room. Finally, a set of loud mutterings seemed to protrude her bubble, and she gazed towards the open door. Curious, she abandoned her spot to peek into the hallway. The group of children that had gathered were crouched at Helen's office door.

"What's…" she began in hushed tones, but was immediately met with a chorus of shushing (much louder than her voice had ever been). Daniel, a tall boy with messy blonde locks, did a double take at her appearance.

"Oy, you lot, let her through," he whispered with a wave of his hand, commanding her to join the group of eavesdroppers at the base of the door. Skye glanced behind her to double check his actions were directed at her. Evidently, they were because he sighed at her response and repeated the action to move towards them. She crouched by his side as he placed a single finger to his lips and, once again, pressed his ear to the door. Skye followed suit.

"...a truly wonderful opportunity for her. Her father himself attended our prestigious establishment and it was his wish that she followed in his footsteps," an unfamiliar voice could be heard beyond the door. Skye immediately recognised it to belong to an older gentleman.

"We had no knowledge that a place had been set aside. You said this was in a will? Certainly the governing body should have made this common knowledge to her guardian?" Helen's voice was stern.

"Yes, well the Ministry involved had certain communication issues at the time, but I assure you the place for Skye has been well secured by myself. Furthermore, we have the tools to ensure she is well catered for in necessary materials, such as books and uniform," the voice replied smoothly.

Skye's eyebrows had shot up at the mention of her name. Daniel had decided he'd heard enough and motioned for retreat. The group followed their leader to his room and Skye trailed behind. Each member had taken their place in his room when Daniel motioned for her to sit as she stood awkwardly outside the perimeter of the group.

"Looks like it's your lucky day, kid," he laughed. She didn't know how to respond to that. Daniel was the one everyone liked, even her, but she'd never really been a part of the inner circle of the children's care home. She was just too shy. Plus it didn't help that around here, there were no regulars except for her. She never had time to open up to anyone, except for Helen, but that wasn't the same. "That bearded guy is a headmaster. It seems you're off to some high-end school up in Scotland."

"What, Hogwarts?" She laughed at her own private joke.

"So, you did know? Why didn't you tell us, kid? I mean it's a school so I guess you wouldn't be too thrilled, but anywhere's better than here right?" He patted her on the back in congratulations, but Skye was more confused than ever. Suddenly, Helen had appeared in the doorway.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you, Skye." Helen seemed flustered. "You're needed in my office. A Professor Dumbledore has a wonderful opportunity for you."

"A Professor…"

"Yes, yes. Don't keep him waiting now," she shooed her out of the room and into the office. Here, Skye took the seat across from a man with half moon spectacles and hair, sprouting from both his head and around his mouth, to form long, straight locks of pure white.

"Good afternoon, Miss Knight," he smiled with a twinkle in his eye.

"Good afternoon, err... Professor Dumbledore," she replied courteously.

"As I'm sure you've heard from your peers, I am visiting today with the intention of inviting you to the school known as Hogwarts. You've heard of it, I believe?" He questioned. Skye didn't even have time to register guilt for being found to have eavesdropped, or wonder how he knew.

"Well, yes, but it's not _real_ though, is it? My mum told me about it, but… well she's not the most reliable sources of information," she spluttered. To this Dumbledore's piercing gaze became saddened.

"I understand your confusion, Miss Knight, but please forgive me when I answer your question with one of my own. Do you believe it is real?" His gaze seemed to pierce her very soul. When she seemed to be lost to her thoughts he rephrased his question. "Has anything ever occurred that made you think that perhaps your mother's word may spout the truth?"

"You mean like the teapot that never ran out of tea? Or… or the time when I broke Helen's favourite vase, but it just kind of fixed itself," Dumbledore smiled at her excited ramblings. "Or how about the time I saw that Kevin was going to fall off the counter to steal the biscuit stash, so I kind of well… tackled him but…"

Dumbledore cut her off. "I'm sorry, what was that?" His body became stiff, as if caught off guard.

"I, I… I promise it didn't hurt when I tackled him. I just didn't want him to fall off like I saw," she looked guiltily at the floor, before peeking a glance at the man before her.

"You saw this? Before it had even occurred?" He inquired.

"Yeah. Usually I get a gut feeling, but this was important. I saw it happen. I wasn't going to let it though," her voice was confident, her mind lost to the memory and too busy to notice the knowing gaze of Albus Dumbledore.

"No, of course you weren't." He smiled as he handed over a thick, yellowing parchment with her name written in an emerald green on the front. "This letter includes your formal invitation to join us at Hogwarts. Furthermore, it contains a list of items that you will need to acquire for the school year. Someone will be along next week to assist you in this and prepare you for the new school year."

She smiled brightly at the wise man's words. Everything she had been told by her mother was true. She was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


	3. Chapter 3 - Diagon Alley

**Chapter 3 - Diagon Alley**

It had been a week since Albus Dumbledore, now known to Skye as Hogwarts headmaster, member of the Order of Merlin, and Mugwump (according to her letter), had visited the children's home. She was sat in her usual reading spot, but unusually her book was placed to one side as she glanced out the window in expectation of the helping hand he had promised. So far, the only movement outside had been the passage of a cat that had long since disappeared at the sight of a watchful child.

"Skye, are you ready to leave?" Helen questioned as she inspected Skye's appearance.

"Yeah, but where are they? 9 o'clock Dumbledore said," she whined with impatience.

"What do you mean? Didn't you see her arrive? Honestly, how could you miss that given your eyes have been fixed out that window for the past fifteen minutes?" she scorned. Skye's eyes narrowed in confusion. She had definitely not missed the arrival of anyone, not through the door at least. _Magic_ , she thought with amusement. Skye made her way to the front door where her companion was waiting. She was a tall woman, with dark hair, and exuded a stern Helen-like aura.

"Miss Knight, I presume?" She requested. It seemed that Skye had just discovered Helen's long lost twin. Scary.

"Yes, pleasure to meet you," she smiled in reply. The woman seemed to approve of Skye's courteous greeting.

"You may call me Professor McGonagall. Do you have everything you need, Miss Knight?" She questioned.

"Um… well forgive me Professor, but I was reading over the list of… err…" she glanced over at Helen nervously, "items and I'm afraid I don't have any money." She blushed in embarrassment as she recalled what had been on her mind since she had read over the list of uniform, books, and equipment, piercing the excitement of potential spellcraft.

"That's not a problem, Miss Knight, now if you have your letter to hand we shall depart. Goodbye, Ms Farley, it was a pleasure." Skye wasn't surprised to see the Professor was genuine in her farewell.

Skye was surprised to be guided by the Professor to a nearby residence as she explained the concept of travelling by the Floo Network (nothing to do with flying as she had originally hoped). The concept of being engulfed by flames and instant transportation was a much more terrifying concept, but she had been assured it was more of a tickling sensation than being burned alive.

Skye stepped into the flames hesitantly, with a handful of what felt like sand, and spoke clearly, as instructed, 'Diagon Alley'. McGonagall had even made her practise saying the destination beforehand to ensure there was no misdirection, or pulling a Tillyman (Skye was too nervous to question why misdirection would be called a Tillyman).

XxX

"Where are we?" Skye wondered aloud, eyes wide as hundreds of people in robes of every shade she could imagine bustled past in what appeared to be a shopping district.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Miss Knight. To answer your question, we are actually located in London. However, this region is hidden from muggles, or non-wizarding people, to ensure the secrecy of the wizard community." The Professor explained.

"It's amazing!" She breathed. "I mean, my mum always talked about shops of flying broomsticks, wands, and potion ingredients that would freak me out, but I just couldn't picture it until now." She glanced around with wonder before pleading, "can we go to the bookstore first?"

At her excitement, McGonagall's mouth seemed to hint at a smile and her eyes beamed with approval. "Not quite yet, first we must visit Gringott's, the wizarding bank."

Skye was delighted to find that amongst the wizarding bank's depths, to which they arrived through a thrilling roller coaster ride governed by a goblin, her father had left her enough coin that McGonagall ensured her would last beyond her school years (if she was responsible with it). Pockets filled with the unusual coins, McGonagall then directed Skye to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where she held her breath hoping not to be stabbed with a pin while the shop owner herself chatted, quite distracted, to the Professor.

This was followed by visits to other stores to purchase a telescope and a standard pewter cauldron with weighing scales. The apothecary had Skye wide eyed as she found that snake fangs and slimy slugs appeared to be 'common potion ingredients' that she needed through the year. She wasn't too pleased at the thought of them accompanying the new school robes or precious books (not yet bought) in the trunk that now floated behind the pair.

Skye felt her heart skip as they headed for Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. Upon entering, she could feel a static-like electricity all around her that made her heart sing.

"Good afternoon," a voice whispered. Skye would have been startled if it wasn't accompanied by the old man's loud attempt to reach her from his seat. "Ah, another student here for their first wand, Minerva?" his eyes sparkled as the Professor confirmed their intentions. "Right then, which is your wand arm?" Skye held out her right arm. She had been practising with a misshapen stick over the past week, although she didn't really have a clue what she was doing.

The eccentric man began muttering allowing a measuring tape to begin whizzing around her body. Skye didn't have a clue what the distance between her feet had to do with getting a wand, but evidently this was the time for the man to choose one for her to try. "Let's see here, elm and eleven inches with…"

"No, that's not it," Skye sighed. McGonagall's eyes narrowed at the girl. "Er… sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

"Perhaps, just try it?" Ollivander shoved it into her hand, but she yelped and dropped it on the floor upon contact. Mr Ollivander's head slanted to the right as if assessing the girl as she apologised profusely.

"Never mind," he declared with a wave of his hand as he picked up the fallen wand. "We're just getting started anyway!" He explored his collection before picking another. "Dragon heartstring and maple, perhaps?"

"I…" Skye began before she felt the piercing eyes of McGonagall at her back. However, it seemed that Ollivander had already figured out she was about to disagree with the choice of wand once again. He stuffed it back immediately.

From there the exchange continued. Skye knew as soon as Mr Ollivander's touch fell on a wand how it was going to turn out, but Professor McGonagall began insisting she at least try them. She seemed to lack the confidence in her judgement that the silvery eyed old man had as he placed wands back at the shake on her head with a smile.

"Alder and ten inches in length…" Mr Ollivander began, his voice fading towards the end as he expected Skye to cut him off once again. This action never came though as she marvelled at the wand now before her. "Unicorn hair core and unyielding flexibility!" He continued excited. "A strange combination as Alder itself has a reputation for highly advanced spell work, while unicorn hair is contradictory in that, typically, it lacks power. In my opinion, I don't expect you to have trouble there!"

There was a soft warmth as the wand reached her hand. Hot air circled the young witch causing her brown hair to become slightly dishevelled. "It's perfect," she breathed. "It feels almost… fond of me."

"Of course it does, my dear! Unicorn hair is said to be the most faithful of wands. It has chosen you, and so shall serve you well," he beamed.


	4. Chapter 4 - The First Year Extaordinaire

**Chapter 4 - The First Year Extraordinaire**

Seven galleons lighter, Skye was euphoric with the wand that was now stuffed up her sleeve. She had refused to place it back into the box Mr. Ollivander had provided, but ensured it was placed out of sight at the request of McGonagall ('honestly, what will people think?). Realising that there was only the books left to buy, Skye's approach of a store named Flourish and Blotts was certainly eager. Unlike the other shops, this was familiar territory for her and the smell of newly bound books was highly comforting.

"Minerva! Good to see you. I've got just the ticket for you if you're interested. The latest Transfiguration journals have just arrived," a man mused upon approach.

The Professor nodded. "Yes, I'll be right behind you. Skye, you should find all first year books in that corner there. Don't leave the store and I will find you shortly." She indicated to a corner before following the man towards the back of the store.

Skye pulled out her letter and looked under the 'set books' section. Glancing around she spotted The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) and, moving on to the next book, realised that the store had set them out in stacks so that she could complete the list by grabbing the first eight books from the pile. After ensuring she had a complete set she began gazing at the spines of the surrounding bookshelves. A book named 'Hogwarts: A History' caught her eye, causing her to begin browsing the book's contents.

It wasn't soon before Skye was nestled on the floor, leaning against the bookshelves behind the first year stacks, enraptured in the story of Hogwarts four founders. Her attention was drawn by a young boy's shout of "Are these the first year books?"

Looking up, but not quite seeing the origin of the voice, Skye replied "That's them, just pick up the top eight."

"Bloody hell! The books can talk!" the boy shrieked.

"Err.." Skye only glimpsed a golden halo of hair, travelling at the speed of light towards the exit before she was distracted by a chuckle from her right.

The sound originated from a girl with glossy black hair. "If only he knew. Sometimes you can't get them to shut up!" she laughed.

"You can't?" Skye's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"We've got one at home that shrieks to high heaven. Likes to think it's some kind of siren, but what would attract a sailor to that wailing is beyond me. It's kind of like…" the girl let out a screech that sounded like a cat having its tail stepped on crossed with a whale.

Skye winced at the sound. "No wonder the sailors ended up drowning. They probably wanted to put their ears at rest."

"You got that right!" She proclaimed. "So, starting Hogwarts this year?"

"Yeah, are you a first year too?" she asked eagerly. Skye could only hope to have someone that she already knew in her year.

"That's right. Tabitha Hart, first year extraordinaire, and you are?" she questioned.

"Skye," she smiled shyly.

"Well Skye, intuition tells me we shall meet again. About twenty to eleven at platform nine, Kings Cross. That will give us enough time to pluck up the courage to run at a brick wall, eh? See you soon!" she waved cheerily, picking up her stack of books and heading for the counter.

"Brick wall?" Skye muttered to herself.

"Miss Knight, why are you sat on the floor?" McGonagall's sudden appearance caused Skye to jump.

"I was reading about Hogwarts," she held up Hogwarts: A History.

"Yes, well perhaps we should purchase the books before you finish reading the lot," she stated.

Skye lifted herself up and placed the book she was reading on top of the stack before carrying them to the counter for purchase. Tabitha passed the pair on her way out with a wave of her hand, which Skye returned awkwardly. On their way out Professor McGonagall asked as to whether Skye had thought about the owl, cat, or toad she could bring with her.

Her response was dull and whiny as she looked down, "we're not allowed pets at the care home."

"Well, I'm sure we can fill the time with something else instead," she said lightly. Skye was pleased to find that 'something else' meant a trip to the ice cream shop where McGonagall treated her to a scoop of her choice. She slurped at it happily, as the Professor began explaining that she needed to be at Kings Cross for the 11 o'clock train.

"I met a girl in the bookshop that said I could meet her at platform nine beforehand," she told her.

"Well, that makes things much simpler. I'm sure she will be able to assist you onto the platform." From there Skye was reminded that her wizard-status was to be kept secret and that any underage wizardry was strictly forbidden. The message was quite clear; McGonagall would personally eat her alive if she more than uttered the words 'Abra Kadabra'.


	5. Chapter 5 - This Means War

**Chapter 5 - This Means War**

Skye's gut twisted with anxiety. She and Helen had arrived at Kings Cross in plenty of time and it had been twenty five minutes to when she had pushed her trolley, complete with trunk, to stand under a sign indicating platform nine. However, Skye couldn't help but doubt if it was half past, and not twenty to, that she was supposed to meet Tabitha. Or maybe it was at platform ten instead?

"Skye!" Skye felt a rush of relief as she turned to a shout of her name to face Tabitha who was pushing a trolley topped with her trunk and a cat carrier. Her arm was raised high and waving frantically, almost hitting an older boy with the same raven black hair and brown eyes, in the face. Skye grinned and pushed her trolley to meet the approaching family.

"Hello," she greeted the family of four with a smile. The boy, Tabitha's brother, Skye thought, hung back leaning on his trolley whilst gazing around. The two adults however, approached Skye with welcoming smiles.

"Hello Skye," Mr Hart chirped. Tabitha had obviously inherited her dark locks from him, but his seemed to be sticking out in odd directions, "and of course it's a pleasure to meet your mother here. Must be exciting for muggles! A child witch!" Skye's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Helen's eyes narrowed at the man.

Skye began stammering, 'he meant… he didn't mean… uh…"

"A child which is bright enough to attend such a prestigious school. You must be very proud indeed," Mrs Hart interrupted smoothly. She on the other hand had light blonde hair streaked with dark patches.

Mr Hart's face had drained of colour.

"Yes. Of, of course," he gulped.

"Well, we better head to the platform. Don't want to miss that train, do we?" Mrs Hart smiled at the girls.

"Isn't this the platform?" Helen asked with eyebrows narrowed.

"No, it's just down there. Don't worry, we can take care of Skye," Tabitha smiled sweetly. Skye's panic grew. If there was one thing Helen was good at it, it was sniffing out a sneaky and suspicious child.

"I think I'd rather see her off," Helen said stubbornly. She wasn't leaving.

"Well, of course you do," Mrs Hart was rooting into the depths of her large handbag. "Now, where did I put those train tickets?" Mrs Hart's hand appeared to grasp something within her bag. Something peaked out, quick as lightning, while she muttered under her breath.

"My goodness! I've left the stove on. I need to go, Skye have a wonderful time and be sure to write," she hugged Skye in a tight embrace before rushing off in a blind panic.

"Good work, dear! My goodness, I'm sorry about that, Skye. I thought Muggle parents always knew. I mean they're always told!" he garbled.

"Err… that's alright, Mr Hart. Helen's not my mother so I guess she's not allowed to know," she explained.

"Mum, we're going to be late," Tabitha's brother stated.

"Honestly, Toby we're standing right by the entrance. Go on then. Show them how it's done," she breathed with a wave of her hand to shoo him away.

Toby grinned at Skye before running full pelt at a brick wall. She let out a yelp and was gobsmacked to realise there was no unconscious Toby at the base of the wall. He had just passed through.

"Dad, take my trolley please." She grabbed one half of Skye's trolley causing her to shift over. "Together?" she grinned with excitement. Skye's churning stomach seemed to settle at the question. She nodded and braced for impact as Tabitha yelled, 'Go!'.

"And they stick the landing!" Tabitha yelled as they emerged onto the platform.

Her whoops of celebration had seemed to attract the attention of the surrounding families. Usually, Skye would have resembled a tomato by this point, but she was still shaking from the experience.

"You better move out the way before you're run over," Toby's voice came from her left.

"That was not pleasant," she uttered as she maneuvered the trolley with shaking hands to stand near Toby.

"You get used to it," he shrugged as Mr and Mrs Hart came through the wall.

"Are we allowed to trade Skye for Tabby cat? She's displayed something akin to normalcy, which is highly refreshing, I must say," he inquired to his parents whilst watching his sibling run down a line of staring students, giving one boy with bright red hair a high five that was offered as she passed. Skye laughed at her potty new friend. She was a keeper that one.

XxX

Soon, Skye and Tabitha were stood in the window of their compartment of the bright scarlet steam engine, The Hogwarts Express, whilst waving goodbye to her parents. Toby had headed off to sit with friends, but not before wishing his little sister good luck for the sorting.

"Remember, it's Ravenclaw or you're being disowned," he had smirked.

Tabitha sighed with content as she settled into her seat.

"Skye, you would not believe how long I have been waiting for this. It's going to be brilliant. Feasts in the Great Hall, sunning ourselves on the Quidditch pitch, no parents to yell at you for jinxing anyone. Heaven," she sighed.

"Quid ditch? Is that some kind of hole with money in it? Like a wishing well?" she asked.

Tabitha let out a laugh, "not quite. It's wizarding sport. We fly around on broomsticks trying to get a ball in three big hoops, whilst the seeker tries to catch the small golden ball, called a Snitch."

"Ok." Skye couldn't really picture it, but she nodded anyway. "So, you're going to be in Ravenclaw house then?"

"No way. I wouldn't even make it in the dormitory. My brother says you need to answer a question every time you want to get in," her voice raised an octave in disbelief. "Mum and dad were Ravenclaws though so I guess it kind of runs in the family," she shrugged.

"My dad was a Gryffindor," Skye revealed.

"What? But I thought your were muggle-born?" Tabitha questioned.

"No, my dad was a wizard, but he's gone. Mum's a er… muggle though," the term felt foreign to Skye, but her mother had always said her dad had affectionately referred to her as so, since she was non-magical, so she knew what it meant. "She was the one who told me all I know about the wizarding world."

"But if your mum knows about the wizarding world, then why… hey, look! It's that boy who ran away from you in Flourish and Blotts," she exclaimed. Skye thanked the heavens for her friends short attention span as she turned to gaze out the door as Tabitha opened it up. "Hey you! Blondie!" Skye took in the familiar golden locks and gazed at the shocked face of the boy.

"Me?" he whispered.

"There you go, Mikey!" A red head smirked at his expression. Skye recognised him as the boy who gave Tabitha a high five earlier.

"And you were worried you wouldn't have any friends to sit with!" Or maybe the other boy gave Tabitha the high five. Skye wasn't sure since they were identical, both faces plastered with a smile as Mikey shifted uncomfortably.

"You owe my friend an apology! You thought she was a talking book stack!" She demanded as she crossed her arms in anger.

"Sorry…" he mumbled as he stared at his feet. Skye couldn't help but laugh at the poor boy who, most likely, didn't have a clue what he was apologising for.

"Have I missed something, Georgie?"

"Apparently, a girl who resembles a book stack," the twin named George replied. Skye could feel her face growing hotter at the attention they were giving her.

"Ha, I can see why! She's well read," he chuckled at his own joke.

"That was terrible, Fred," George shook his head in mock shame at the pun.

"Well, book-related humour isn't exactly my speciality."

"I'm just gonna go…" Mikey started to turn in hope of leaving the piercing stare that Tabitha gave the boys, but unfortunately he wasn't going to be able to escape that easily.

"See, even this one's fed up with the double act," Tabitha scoffed. Skye coughed, trying to cover up a laugh as George's face resembled fake-shock and Fred gasped, clutching his heart dramatically.

"We're hurt, Mikey. We take you in, in your hour of need, and you side with two girls instead of the great Weasley twins," George exclaimed.

"Yeah, well obviously he's got good instincts," Tabitha grabbed his arm and nudged him into the seat next to Skye, like it was some sort of victory. She had already forgotten that she was originally mad at him it seemed.

"Obviously," Fred smirked.

"Good luck with your new friends, Mikey!" George shouted as they began to walk out the compartment. Poor Mikey looked like a lost puppy as they walked away.

"Er hello, I'm Skye" she held out her hand in greeting. Mikey looked at her outstretched arm as if it was a snake.

"Michael," he breathed. Obviously deciding her hand was safe, he shook it reluctantly as Tabitha sat back down with a huff.

"Do you prefer to be called Mikey? They weren't teasing you were they?" Skye asked with concern.

"I bet they were, the big bullies!" Skye decided to ignore Tabitha's outburst while she cooled down.

"No, everyone calls me Mikey. They were quite nice actually. I was worried no one would like me and I'd be all alone. They said I shouldn't be worried though," the boy looked a bit embarrassed as he admitted his worries and glanced at the girl's reaction.

"Well, you can be our friend if you like," Mikey smiled at Skye's offer. "To be honest I'd probably be in your situation too, if I hadn't met Tabitha at Flourish and Blotts."

"Flourish and…" Mikey's mouth made a large O shape. "Wait, you were the book stack that made me run out?"

"She's not a book stack," Tabitha's voice hinted that she was much calmer now.

"Kind of. I was sitting on the floor behind all the books so you couldn't see me," she said sheepishly.

"You scared the living daylights out of me," he laughed. "I had to make my mum buy my books after that. There was no way I was stepping a foot back in that shop."

"Because they could talk? Is it that bad?" She questioned.

"Well I have to admit it startled me, but then I started to think if they can talk, what else can they do? What if one eats me? One big gulp and you'll never see me again!" His arms waved around energetically.

"I guess it's not entirely impossible," Tabitha mused.

"Don't tell me that! I'll have nightmares." Skye couldn't blame him. The thought of her dear books turning on her made her shudder.

Soon Tabitha was laughing, which seemed to be contagious since they all joined in. Soon they were swapping funny dreams they had, stopping occasionally to ask Tabitha to explain what half the things in hers were (apparently her grandmother had made recent appearances, represented as a niffler in a bright pink dressing gown with matching bonnet). As she reached for her copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for a picture, a yowl came from the pet carrier, which drew her attention.

"Oh, Pat you're awake," she stated affectionately.

"You called your cat, Pat?" Mikey puzzled over the odd name, while Skye let out a breath of amusement.

"It's short for Patronus. So she can protect me from evil," Tabitha stated matter-of-factly. She began murmuring to the small, black cat as she opened the carrier.

"Want a sweet?" Michael offered Skye some sort of fruity chew, by the looks of it.

"Yes, please. I'm starving!" she moaned as she started unwrapping the sweet. It looked to be strawberry flavour from the red packaging. Michael started tearing at a blue one.

"Don't worry, the lady with the food trolley will be coming around soon," Tabitha reassured Skye as she turned her attention away from Pat the cat. Her face dropped at the sight of the now empty sweet wrappings. "Where did you get those sweets?"

Mikey covered his mouth to reply as he chewed, "Weeseys 'ave 'em too 'ee," he garbled mouth full.

"Spit it out!" she shrieked, but it was too late. Michael seemed to be turning a shade of blue that started at his lips and then spread to his face.

"Michael! Your face is blue!" Skye had aimed to say, but all she spouted from her mouth was the whistling of a boiled kettle. She could feel the sensation of a flushed face, but by the look of Mikey's wide eyes she guessed she was probably as red as he was blue. He also appeared to be shivering, as if from a cold chill.

At the high pitched sound two red headed twins came bouncing down the corridor to peer in. Both doubled over in laughter at the sight of the two oddly coloured faces staring back in shock. Skye didn't think her face could get any redder. That was before they started laughing, thereby causing her ears to smoke.

As Michael stood up and opened his mouth to yell at the pair, a familiar song seemed to emerge from his mouth singing 'dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh' that reminded Skye of one those mechanical singing Santas. At these developments the two twins only laughed harder, but this time Skye had to join in. The chorus of 'Jingle Bells' was too much for her and now her own laugh had turned into periodic whistles that made her sound like 'The Hogwarts Express' itself.

This only worsened matters as Mikey joined in her laughing, tears strolling down his face as he began the classic Christmas song's chorus. Even Tabitha, despite her fury, couldn't keep back her laughter, even letting out a small snort, that seemed to silence, and then reinstate the madness, in an instant.

Declaring their mission complete, the two Weasley twins slipped away from the chaos, unnoticed, with tears of laughter still in their eyes. It was a while before the compartment of three could even open their mouths without starting a fit of giggles once again. However, with a smile on her face Tabitha began to look mischievous all of a sudden.

"You're kind of creeping me out there, Tabitha" Skye joked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Her voice trembled with glee. Skye and Mikey gave each other a look that seemed to confirm they both had no idea what she was getting at. "This means war," she decreed.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Pre-Pudding Meal

**Chapter Six - The Pre-Pudding Meal**

Soon the train was slowing and the trio, now dressed in their school robes, exited the scarlet engine to the cries of: 'Firs'-years firs-years over here!' These cries emerged from what Skye could only describe as a giant. She could only hope that he was the big, friendly kind. The group that had gathered started down a woodland path. Tabitha was practically skipping at Skye's side.

"Woah!" Mikey breathed as they came around a bend. This was accompanied by a range of exclamations from the surrounding students.

"Well, there yer 'ave it. Hogwarts at its fines'," he beamed. "Now, four to a boat and mind yer step."

Tabitha raced to claim a boat sitting at the edge of the dark water. Skye followed with a roll of her eyes directed at Mikey and a grin that revealed her bubbling excitement, which he returned.

"Can I join your boat?" a boy inquired.

"As long as you don't mind taking a dip in the lake. I think Tabitha's fidgeting is going to send us in," Mikey laughed. Tabitha stuck out her tongue in response. The boy seemed to contemplate the risk before stepping into the boat.

"Righ' then, FORWARD," the giant commanded. In response the boats glided smoothly across the lake. Skye gazed around, ducking her head at the warning their leader gave them before passing through the ivy hanging from the cliff face. Reaching the shore at the end of the tunnel, they exited the boats to approach a large set of wooden doors that swung open in response to three great big knocks.

Skye immediately spotted Professor McGonagall who gazed around at the first years that Hagrid, Skye had picked up his name amongst the whispers, had indicated. Her gaze seemed to rest on Skye that was beaming up at her.

"Follow me," she commanded them, leading them towards a large entrance hall and diverting off to an empty chamber that reminded Skye of the room that a priest would prepare in at church. She turned to the group that had gathered nervously. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Soon, you will be undergoing the sorting ritual that places you in one of four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. This will dictate your so-called family at Hogwarts that you will spend most of your time with. It will also govern the house that you will win, or lose, house points for, which ultimately leads to the presentation of the House Cup at the end of the year. Therefore, I suggest, whatever your house, that you do them proud and ensure your time at Hogwarts is well spent." She glanced around at the students that were hanging on her every word. Listening for any more tibet's of information that might suggest what was to come next. However, the only thing left to be said was "Please wait here quietly until you are called."

"Right, we're aiming for Gryffindor," Tabitha whispered.

"I don't think we can do that. We don't even know how they decide," Skye breathed back.

"They judge your qualities. I'm obviously an evil genius bound for Slytherin, but you're too nice for that," Skye felt almost offended for being called 'too nice'. "Mikey is obviously Mr Hufflepuff, but I'm too short tempered for that, and you are probably a Ravenclaw, but, again, I've got no chance," she concluded.

"It seems you're the one limiting our choice of house," Mikey mused.

"We don't have to be in the same house. We're already friends," Skye pointed out, already the keeper of peace.

"Well, at least _try_ ," Tabitha had commanded them a little too loudly. This earned her a stern stare from Professor McGonagall, as she returned to collect the anxious first years.

"Form a line and follow me," she governed. Skye was a nervous wreck. She was pretty sure she was about to float off given the amount of butterflies in her stomach. Then she was startled by a hard punch to her arm. As she glanced at Tabitha in annoyance she saw the girl's head indicate upwards. Skye followed her line of direction and gawped at the ceiling, which resembled the night sky, the flickering of candles joining the twinkling stars.

Skye's attention was then drawn by a simple wooden stool that was placed in front of the group, which, momentarily, was accompanied by a shabby looking wizard's hat.

 _Hide your worried faces,_

 _Take a seat and see,_

 _Where you will be placed today,_

 _Will be governed by me._

So, the hat was _singing_.

Mikey seemed to be taken aback. Looks like hats would be added to his list of things that could potentially eat him. Tabitha was humming along as the hat began listing the traits of each house. This caused Skye's thoughts to wonder. Would she be a Ravenclaw like Tabitha said? But her mum wanted her to be a Gryffindor, like her father. Skye couldn't imagine the disappointment she would receive if she didn't follow in his footsteps.

 _So keep your ears open wide,_

 _Listen carefully for your name,_

 _My decision is final (no one can rival),_

 _This hat's final claim._

The whole school, separated between four long tables, erupted into applause. Skye's heart seemed to be beating just as fast.

"Upon hearing your name, please take a seat and place the hat on your head," the Professor projected across the hall as she took out a roll of parchment. "Belby, Marcus!"

The hat was silent for a full minute once Marcus had sat down and allowed the hat to cover his eyes. "RAVENCLAW!" Came the cry of the hat.

Soon the sorting was well underway with 'Bell, Katie' becoming the first Gryffindor. 'Carmichael, Eddie' and 'Chang, Cho' both joining Marcus in Ravenclaw.

Soon it was the turn of 'Felton, Michael' and Skye was surprised to see Mikey step forward to place the hat on his head. Skye was pretty sure the hat was broken with the long silence that followed. McGonagall even began glancing at her watch.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted, causing Skye to jump at the disturbance to the silence. The table on the right cheered and began whispering amongst themselves as Mikey headed over with one last glance over his shoulder as he hesitated, looking at the two girls still waiting to be called. Skye beamed at him, motioning him to join the table that awaited his arrival. He grinned and took an empty seat.

'Griffin, Lilith' seemed disgruntled that Mikey still had most of the attention of the hall, but smirked as she was sorted into Slytherin. Then the boy who joined them in their boat, 'Griffiths, Adam', was sorted into Hufflepuff. Skye smiled as she saw Mikey indicate the seat next to him. He wasn't alone.

The call of 'Hart, Tabitha' also seemed to cause a stir in the hall. Skye expected that most remembered her from the laps she did at Kings Cross. The hat took a few moments before yelling 'GRYFFINDOR', which caused Tabitha to whoop and throw the hat in the air as if she had just graduated, before leaping off the steps towards the table that was hooting with her. McGonagall wasn't pleased as she retrieved the hat for 'Hunter, Luke'.

It wasn't long before 'Knight, Skye' was being read from the parchment. Skye took a deep breath, sat down, and placed the hat on her head.

"So… you're the one causing me problems, eh?" the hat whispered in her ear. "But you're not mad. Oh no, the loyalty you show could definitely be valued in Hufflepuff as well. But this mind is eager for knowledge isn't it? Ravenclaw could certainly feed that for you." Skye's mind flashed with the thought of her mother's excitement as she presented Skye with the Gryffindor scarf.

"Oh, Gryffindor is it? Dreams of grandeur isn't enough, but yes… There it is. Not even a second thought when you stopped that boy from falling. Better be, GRYFFINDOR!" The hall erupted and Tabitha actually stood up to clap Skye on the back as she joined the table.

Skye watched the rest of the sorting, cheering along with everyone else when the next Gryffindor 'McLaggen, Cormac' headed over. The final girl, quite tall for her age, appeared quite disgruntled about being sorted last.

It was not long before Dumbledore had stood to gaze at his students. "Welcome to Hogwarts: a great supporter of pudding. Now, let us begin the pre-pudding meal. Thank you."

The school erupted in applause. Skye joined in for the man she greatly appreciated, despite a short visit.

"Why is everyone clapping? He's barking!" Tabitha exclaimed.

"What, don't you like pudding?" Skye laughed. Then she began grabbing slices of roast beef and dolloping mash on her plate. This was accompanied by peas, carrots, and broccoli before a generous helping of gravy. The pre-pudding meal, Skye mused, was delicious.

XxX

"All first years, follow me," came the cries of the Prefects leading the first year students to their dormitories.

"Skye! Tabitha!" came a familiar shout behind them. It was Mikey. "Sorry! I…"

"Well, I should think so! The betrayal!" Tabitha declared dramatically.

"That's Tabitha speak for she wishes you could be with us, but we'll see you tomorrow," Skye smiled.

"Really, you mean it?" his eyes lit up.

"We'll be sitting four feet from you, dummy," Tabitha scoffed. Skye was pleased to see she wasn't too mad at him. "Now let's go before we're all lost. I don't want to run into that poltergeist."

"Poltergeist?" he squeaked. Skye hoped that Tabitha was joking, but given Dumbledore's warning about The Forbidden Forest in his speech, Skye was beginning to think that anything was possible at Hogwarts.


	7. Chapter 7 - Scheming

**Chapter Seven - Scheming**

"Lumos Solem," Tabitha shouted angrily at the plant pot with the seed that was supposed to grow instantly with the rays of light created by the spell. It wasn't going very well for her.

"Wait, so you made the Forgetfulness potion..." Skye clarified.

"Perfect, it was!" Adam nodded along.

"Deserved an award. Obviously, Snape was jealous about my Potion-making skills and stole the sample I put in the vile for him!" Mikey mourned for his lost potion.

"You didn't sample the thing and forget where you put it did you?" Skye laughed.

"Honestly, this seed is defective!" Tabitha complained with a huff.

"I think you're too angry. Gardens are supposed to thrive with love, right?" Skye's hearty advice was met with a death glare from Tabitha. At her fourth attempt at the spell, sparks emerged from her wand, setting the soil on fire. Professor Sprout bustled over and used her wand to extinguish the flames immediately.

"Sorry," Tabitha muttered as she tutted at her attempts at the spell. After the Professor's attempts to guide Tabitha on where she was going wrong, they were left to their own devices once again. Skye took another one of the seeds they were using and planted it into a fresh pot of soil, setting it on the work surface of Greenhouse One for Tabitha to try again.

"Hey, you know I've got an idea how we can get the Weasley's back," Mikey chirped in an attempt to brighten Tabitha's mood.

"Better than the cunning of Miss Knight?" Tabitha raised her eyebrows at him and smirked. She was under the impression that Skye was the real evil genius here since her suggestion had been to use 'Wingardium Leviosa' to float the Weasley's beds down to the common room area or the Great Hall. Unfortunately, Mikey had pointed out they'd only managed to do the spell with a feather so far. A bed might be a bit more complicated.

"Well, you know what I said about entering our common room?" The girls nodded. Apparently, you had to tap a certain barrel in a certain way. The girls didn't know the specifics, but neither did he when it came to the password used to enter their common room. "Well, turns out if you do it wrong you get squirted with vinegar!".

"That's gross," Skye scrunched up her nose.

At the same time Tabitha cried, "that's brilliant!". Skye raised her eyebrows in question to her excitement. "Don't you see? If we can lead the Weasley's to the common room entrance and they try to get in, the charm does all the work for us!"

"How are you going to do that?" Adam inquired.

"Secret evil genius, activate!" Tabitha tapped Skye's head with the end of her wand.

"Don't do that! You just set a plant pot on fire for goodness sake!" she scolded. This was followed by a sigh as her three Herbology partners stared at her, waiting for an answer. "Well, they need a reason to want to enter the common room first and we need to leak to them the way to get in that they wouldn't be suspicious of," she explained.

"So, we make them really mad until they chase us in there?" Mikey suggested.

"They're not really the angry type though," Skye pondered the dilemma. "They'd do it as a dare, but it'd be really suspicious coming from us."

"What about Katie? She hangs out with Angelina, Lee and those two quite a bit right?" Tabitha was getting very excited.

"Ok, so she dares them to enter the Hufflepuff common room…" Mikey began.

"No, it would be less obvious if she dares them to enter a different common room. _But_ , we make sure that they've already obtained the 'knowledge' to enter Hufflepuff's, thinking they can get in easily," Skye schemed with a smile.

"What if they already know how to get in another common room?" Adam pointed out.

"Well, even if they know how to get into Ravenclaw's, or where it is, there is no guarantee of success, right?" Skye glanced at Tabitha.

"It's always some knowledge thing, which I doubt they'd pick it with confidence," she confirmed.

"I think if they could get into Slytherin's common room we'd already know about it, wouldn't we? Or maybe if they already had, then it wouldn't be impressive if they'd done it before." Skye nodded in agreement. The plan was coming together well. Tabitha seemed to think so too as she gave Skye a bright smile before returning to the spell at Professor Sprout's watchful gaze.

"Lumos Solem," she pronounced resulting in a beam of sunlight to protrude from her wand, causing the seed to grow into a tall sunflower. She smirked at the results and crossed her arms as if to say 'take that' to no one in particular.

XxX

"Ready, movie star?" Tabitha grinned at Skye as they stood outside the entrance to Gryffindor common room.

"We both know who's going to win an Oscar after this," Skye shook her head as Tabitha bounced around from excitement.

"Oscar? I don't need amateur dramatics to win a boy's heart, Skye," Tabitha winked. "Come on, let's do this while we know they're in there." Tabitha said the password to the portrait before Skye could even explain about the Oscars and stepped through, entering the room like a raging storm cloud. "Honestly, as if I'd even want to enter his stingy common room!" she huffed.

A lot of people had turned towards her outburst, but noticing Tabitha as the source of the commotion most had already resumed their conversations. Everyone was already used to her mood swings. However, from the corner of her eye Skye could see two red headed twins smirking at each other. Luckily for the plan, winding up Tabitha whilst she was in a rage was a great pastime for them and was perfect for dropping in crucial information.

"It's his business, Tabitha. It's not like we've invited him in here, have we?" Skye's voice hinted at her amusement of her friend's dramatic flare.

"That worm doesn't deserve to step into this hallowed ground!" Tabitha raged while her eyes glinted.

"Hallelujah," shouted one of the twins, Fred, Skye guessed.

"And amen," George followed up. Tabitha gave them her best death glare to date, which caused them to begin grinning again.

"What's this about worms, Tabby cat?" Fred's use of her brothers nickname for Tabitha had Skye glancing at the girl. The last thing they needed was for Tabitha to fly off in a real rage and forget their objective. She certainly looked more annoyed about the situation.

"Michael," she breathed in real annoyance. Skye guessed that was more about the nickname than anything.

"Are you telling me that our Golden Boy has done something wrong?" George mocked shock at the notion.

"No, she's overreacting," Skye had taken a seat in the common room and started flipping through a book to hide her face.

"I am NOT!" Tabitha countered with a stomp of her foot.

"He said that you knock on the top barrel near the kitchens to the rhythm of the password, what more do you want?" Skye sneaked a glance at the twins from behind her book. They looked interested now.

"The password." Tabitha crossed her arms.

"Why would he tell us that? We didn't tell him the password to our common room, did we? We just said that you say _the_ password to the portrait of the fat lady," Skye stated.

"I asked first. If he had told us, I'd have told him!" She grumbled and stormed off towards the stairs leading to the girls dormitory. Skye closed her book, shrugged at the twins and headed off after her with a smile. Upon entering their room, Skye was graced with the sight of Tabitha's celebrations. The girl appeared to be giving her bed a good pounding with her hands and feet with the occasional 'woop'.

"I don't think your bed springs are going to thank you for that," Skye pointed out.

"Who cares. Stage one is complete and soon we'll wipe the creepy little smirks right off their faces." Tabitha mused with a final punch towards the sky in celebration.

"Amen," Skye chuckled.


	8. Chapter 8 - Truth or Dare

**Chapter Eight - Truth or Dare**

"So, Katie's going to help?" Mikey looked to Skye, who wasn't huddled up like an eskimo inside her cloak like Tabitha was.

"Well, not technically. When we asked her she wasn't too sure about the whole thing. Luckily, Angelina was there and said something about getting them back for putting a dung bomb in her trunk. So the thing's still on," Skye explained.

There was a muffled response from the eskimo, which was met with a sigh from Mikey.

"We don't have a clue what you're saying Tabitha," Mikey shook his head.

"Why are we out here! It's freezing," she whined in response once she had uncovered her head. Her black hair was dishevelled from her encasement.

"Come on, let's start walking towards the Quidditch pitch. Angelina said they finish about now and we need to catch them at the right moment," Skye said as she punched herself off the ground and brushed the dirt off her cloak.

As the three approached the Quidditch pitch, they spotted Adam walking along with the twins and Angelina. Mikey waved his arm above his head frantically in greeting.

"Good day, good sirs!" Adam shouted over. Reaching the group he did an awkward bow which caused Skye's eyebrows to knit together in confusion.

"How do you do?" George seemed to pick up on Adams strange welcome and imitated the posh greeting. Fred bowed courteously.

"Err, sorry we're late, but you know Tabitha. By the time I dragged her out of bed we'd already missed it all," Skye laughed lightly.

"You know we don't appreciate spies coming to watch us," Angelina joked with a grin.

"Really! I was merely waiting for my comrades," he replied graciously. Tabitha's eyes narrowed as she glared at the boy. Mikey and Skye were suppressing their laughter. It seemed when Adam had volunteered for the role to hand over the password he hadn't been joking about his background in 'Shakespearean theatre' and how it would be an asset.

"Right," Mikey cleared his throat as he struggled to keep a straight face. "Well, did you manage to stay long enough to talk to the prefects? I don't want to be locked out."

"Certainly, my good sir! To enter our humble abode…" he began. Mikey gave Skye a panicked plan was that Adam was supposed to take Mikey aside. No one would ever reveal their password purposely in front of another house. It was too suspicious.

"Maybe we should do this over there!" Mikey rushed the words as he pulled Adam aside. One glance at the twins showed Skye that they were certainly interested. At least the chaos had caused them to show some interest.

Tabitha shouted after them, fury building up in her features. "What the hell!"

"I THINK we should go check out the Quidditch pitch. Come on you can tell me the rules," Skye said as she dragged Tabitha in the other direction. As she glanced back she saw that the twins had headed in the direction of the two boys.

"He almost ruined it!" Tabitha seethed as they reached the Quidditch grounds.

"Well, at least we got their interest. Plus, they probably thought you were mad they didn't want to say anything around you than them. Hath they offended you my liege?" Skye finished off with a flourish causing Tabitha to crack a smile.

"Certainly not! One can not offend one such as myself when they are of such pig-headedness," she returned Skye's flourish with a courtesy.

"Who doth call us pig heads?" Mikey chirped up from behind. Adam followed sheepishly with a blush arising on his cheeks.

"Two of the fairest ladies in the land, my good sir," Skye followed up. This caused Mikey to snort.

"Hey! I take offence at that!" Tabitha crossed her arms with a huff.

"Never mind that. How did it go?" Skye asked eagerly.

"They heard us. Weren't too secretive about it. They said we shouldn't worry as they don't know where the entrance is anyway," Adam grinned. He was obviously pleased his mistake hadn't ruined the plan.

"The smarmy gits!" Tabitha breathed. However, her face was already filling with her malicious grin. "Revenge certainly is sweet," she sang.

XxX

"And here is the iconic Gryffindor, Oliver Wood, in his natural state of contemplation over a miniature Quidditch pitch. Some say Wood has mistaken this model as a mate and tends to smooch it from time to time." Lee Jordan appeared to be narrating the activities of the common room in a nature programme voice over style, much to the disgruntled Gryffindors being mentioned. However, each comment was matched with a roar of laughter from the fire where the second and third years were gathered around for a game of truth or dare.

"What's taking her so long?" Tabitha whined.

"She'll do it. Just be glad you're not the one hanging around the entrance of your own common room," Skye whispered back. The boys had been loitering in the library all day on the knowledge that things were going down tonight. So far the game had gone a lot longer than expected, so Skye had assumed they'd turned to Plan B and took to camping outside the common room, trying to avoid the wandering teachers.

"Ouch! Were you aware you have knives for elbows?" Skye grumbled whilst rubbing her side. Tabitha's eyes were wild with excitement as they fixed on the group at the fireplace. Skye opened her book back up to stare at while she eavesdropped hoping to be more subtle than her eccentric friend.

"Oh, so our game of truth or dare is too small time for the great Weasley twins, is it?" Angelina could be heard mocking them.

"They're not playing," Tabitha breathed, mouth slanted in anger.

"They're winding her up. It's fine," Skye whispered back.

"If you want to challenge us at least make it worth our while," George wiggled his eyebrows at her, his voice filled with challenge.

"Fine. I dare you to break into another house's common room," Angelina voice carried over the entire common room, which caused it to go silent. However, the twins could only grin at each other.

"Now that's a fine challenge. Come on Georgie, we've got a reputation to uphold," Fred almost cheered as he clapped his twin on the shoulder and headed towards the exit.

"You're bluffing! You can't get in another common room," Angelina smirked. Skye had the hand it to the girl, she had just as much dramatic flare as Tabitha.

The twins stopped just by the table Skye and Tabitha were occupying as George replied. "Well, we were planning on popping in on our good friend Mikey anyway weren't we Fred?".

"Might as well kill two birds with one stone. Want me to pass along a message for you, Tabby cat?" Fred tilted his head to the side in question as he leaned across their table. Tabitha glared at him for the use of her brothers nickname for her.

"You can't get into his common room. It's password protected, just like ours is," Skye prompted.

"We're hurt by your lack of faith, Skye. Looks like you'll have to witness our greatness for yourselves. Come on," George gestured for them to follow. Skye glanced at Tabitha who nodded with a satisfied smirk. They followed the now large group of Gryffindors out the common room, all of whom wanted to witness such a feat. Little did they know that the tides were turning for the great Weasley twins.


	9. Chapter 9 - Revenge

**Chapter Nine - Revenge**

The group began to head down towards the kitchens. Skye was beside herself in panic about being out of the common room outside of curfew. It didn't help that they were accompanied by around twenty rowdy Gryffindors curious to see if the Weasleys could penetrate the Hufflepuff common room.

"This isn't very stealthy, is it?" Skye whispered, clutching at Tabitha's hand, her other holding her wand to light the way.

"Oh, calm down Skye. The Weasleys are scouting the way and I promise if I even sense the disapproving glare of a teacher we're going to peg it out of here leaving these guys behind in the dust," she stated, giving her twitchy friend's hand a squeeze in reassurance.

"Gee, thanks Tabitha," Angelina exclaimed, voice drenched in sarcasm.

"What are you guys gawping at anyway?" Tabitha raced up to the twins in stealthy cat mode trying to peer over their shoulder. Skye thought she eyed up some sort of parchment that George folded over out of sight.

"Nothing. Snape's always on patrol up ahead around now so we wait here 'til he moves on, ok?" Fred explained.

"How do you know that?" Tabitha questioned with eyebrows raised.

"Maybe if you ask nicely we'll give you some pointers, Tabby cat," George smirked.

"As if I need your help," Tabitha scoffed. Soon they reached their destination, having arrived outside the kitchens. Skye spotted the barrels and tried to make a good judgement as to how far away she should stand. Others were clearly clueless as to the location of the Hufflepuff common room as they milled around the area.

"Ready, Fred?" George bellowed happily as he approached the barrels.

"Ready, George. Gather around everyone. We'll be needing your help to rearrange the furniture," Fred chuckled.

"I didn't come to do manual labour. Now get on with it," Tabitha complained. Soon the twins complied as everyone watched eagerly. Apparently, George was to do the honours of tapping out the password. Skye heard the four syllables of 'Lumos Solem' being tapped out on the very top barrel and braced herself.

A sharp smell hit Skye's nostrils as a torrent of vinegar spurted towards the twins, completely drenching them from head to toe. In response the twins couldn't have looked more shocked. Following a moment of silence, Tabitha was the first to burst out laughing, which earned a nudge from Skye as she tried to suppress her own laughter in her hand.

"Adam, did you get the password wrong again?" Skye swirled around to see Mikey approaching from the back of the group.

"Must have. Sorry about that guys!" Adam called over and the two high fived. This was then followed up with a round of high fives from Tabitha as the twins broke into grins.

"Don't suppose you guys bought some chips with you, did you?" George joked.

"Sorry, buddy," Mikey grinned.

"No worries, Mikey. We still love you," Fred opened his arms as if to embrace Mikey into a big hug, which was swiftly dodged. Skye laughed as Mikey began using her as a shield against Fred's hug attempts.

"Where did you guys end up hiding in the end? I couldn't see you at all on the way here," she inquired gazing over her shoulder.

"You wouldn't believe what we found!" Adam grinned. "That painting of the fruit bowl opens up to the kitchens."

"No way, how did you find that out?" Tabitha asked, obviously impressed with such a find.

"Adam's a clean freak. He was practically dusting the paintings while we waited. It was dead creepy when the painting started to laugh," Mikey explained with a shudder.

"For future note you tickle the pear, just so you don't go around cleaning it every time you get hungry," Fred grinned, lunging in to wrap himself around Mikey who squirmed in protest.

Skye was laughing at the scene until she was hit with a sudden feeling of panic. Someone was coming and it wasn't someone who was going to appreciate seeing twenty students happily chatting in the corridor past curfew.

"Someone's coming!" she warned. This caused everyone's face to drop as they stopped their conversation to listen for the approaching figure.

"I don't hear…" Adam was soon shushed by the group that was now on high alert.

Tabitha flashed her hand up in a quick wave goodbye before beginning to scout the way ahead. Skye gave a quick smile to the guys as they waited for the Gryffindors to clear the area before following Tabitha down the corridor. At the first intersection, Skye grabbed Tabitha's arm as she headed towards the way they had come.

"Not that way. We'll be caught," she whispered urgently.

"How do you know?" She questioned, eyebrows knit together. However, the whispered praise of Filch to Mrs Norris could be heard in the far distance. This caused the students gathered to exchange looks, which seemed to convey a free for all in an effort to escape potential consequences.

Tabitha grabbed Skye's hand and began pulling her in the direction of the common room at the heels of Fred, George and Angelina.

"Guys, you're dripping everywhere!" Tabitha gasped as she ran.

"Well, whose fault is that?" Fred shot back.

"Go left!" Skye called. Tabitha glanced at Skye unsure about taking her advice or following the others that had gone ahead. The answer seemed to come soon enough as the students heard the cries of 'students out of bed' from that direction. Fred and George seemed to gain speed at the drama, leaping in glee as they passed the girls by.

As they approached the portrait of the fat lady, they all gasped the password at her until she felt obliged to open the way to safety with a huff of frustration. Fred and George climbed in first, still dripping vinegar, as Angelina followed. Skye practically dived into the portrait hole in order to feel the lush red carpet under her fingers and was followed by Tabitha who tripped and landed on top of her.

"Bloody hell, Skye. Couldn't you find a better place to crash then right in front of the door?!" she got out between deep breaths. This was then followed by a squeal of success as Skye was embraced.

"I'd appreciate the hug more if you weren't crushing me," she breathed. "We are never doing that again."

"I make no promises," Tabitha smirked as rolled off Skye to brush herself off.

"Yeah, come on Skye where's your sense of adventure?" said Fred.

"Buried in a book," Tabitha muttered. Skye pouted at her.

"Well, it's time to start living the adventure, not just reading it," George grinned.

"Says the guy dripping vinegar on the carpet," Skye shot back.

"Good point. I'm heading off for a shower." George began to head off in the direction of the boys rooms, followed by Fred.

"Well accomplished girls, you've made them shower for the first time in a month," Angelina shouted, more to the benefit of the twins than the girls standing right next to them.

"Sleep tight," Fred replied, with a flash of a wicked grin. That didn't give Skye the best of feelings. They were now target number one and she could see the same logic had dawned on Angelina. Tabitha had probably come to the same conclusion, but looked delighted about having a target on her back.

"Well, I'm heading up too," Angelina yawned. "Night."

The two girls wished Angelina goodnight as she headed up the stairs. Skye began to follow, but was stopped by Tabitha.

"Hey, how did you know about Filch tonight?" The girl gazed at Skye quizzically.

"I don't know. It was like a gut feeling. It was like as soon as we considered to turn that way I had this horrible feeling we would get caught," she shrugged. "Does it matter?"

Tabitha only tilted her head in response, finally saying, "come on, let's go to bed".

Skye very much doubted that was the last she would hear on the subject.


	10. Chapter 10 - Speculation

**Chapter Ten - Speculation**

The next morning, Skye stared bleary eyed at her bowl of porridge. She had been pumped with adrenaline as she got into bed and it had been difficult to get off to sleep. Tabitha, on the other hand, seemed brimming with energy, yet much more focussed than Skye was used to. Apparently, she was much too deep in thought to join in with the taunts coming from down the table about the smell of vinegar wafting through the air. As she reached for the bottle of golden syrup, hoping for a good dose of sugar, she caught Mikey's eye at the Hufflepuff table.

His wide smile seemed to say, ' _last night was brilliant. When do we head out on our next adventure?'_

Skye shook her head conveying she never wanted to do something that stressful again, but couldn't help but contain a smile. Mikey and Skye had seemed to perfect the art of wordless conversation at meal times. Usually though, Tabitha would be pestering her and asking to relay their telepathic conversation. She didn't have the art to decipher his expressions and usually came up with terrible suggestions such as, ' _my golden Hufflepuff locks amplify the art of finding'_ or the classic, ' _I smell of a troll's armpit'._

She snuck a glance at her unusually quiet friend. Currently, she was frowning at her bacon and eggs as if she was trying to get them to spontaneously combust. Mikey had seemed to notice as well, tilting his head to the side in questioning.

Skye shrugged in response, ' _I'm sure we'll know sooner or later'_ , her expression replied.

"Tabitha, you didn't hit the Weasley twins with a fountain of vinegar last night, did you?" Cormac McLaggen seemed to pull Tabitha from her trance.

"Naturally," she replied smugly. Looks like word had already gotten around. Skye wasn't surprised.

"Nice. Of course if it had been me leading everyone last night, no one would have got caught," he said, his voice dripped in self confidence. Skye rolled her eyes.

"Free for all, McLaggen. I can't be responsible for all these chumps." Tabitha shrugged.

"Yeah, but if I'd been there we wouldn't have lost all those points. McGonagall was furious. You know how much she wants that cup," McLaggen's voice trailed off as he shifted blame on to Tabitha.

Skye's eyes searched for the hourglasses and found that Gryffindors seemed to lack a large number of glistening rubies that were there yesterday. He stomach dropped. All that hard work filling it up and now Slytherin were in the lead again.

"We lost that many points?" Skye almost whispered, her stomach fluttered with guilt.

McLaggen seemed to regard Skye with glazed eyes. "See, you've let this one down. Maybe next time you should consult me with your prank ideas."

This one. Skye had only been sitting by this guy since they first started Hogwarts for goodness sake. Tabitha didn't seem up to her usual morning battle with McLaggen though. She just glanced at Skye as if only noticing her for the first time, as well.

"Mmm," was her only reply. Skye could only wonder what she was thinking about. Hopefully, it wasn't another grand plan. Skye couldn't bare to lose more house points and she didn't think her nerves could take another night like that.

XxX

"Flipendo," Tabitha yelled, causing a jet of blue light to cause Skye to be knocked back, landing with a shriek on the hard floor.

Professor Mater rushed over immediately, 'my goodness! Skye, are you alright?'. Skye liked the Defence of Dark Arts teacher, she was that perfect balance of strict, that kept a rowdy class in line, yet managed to exude kindness and keep class interesting. Basically, she was a miracle teacher.

"Fine," she muttered in response as her checks burned in embarrassment. She kept her eyes to the floor as she brushed herself off.

"Tabitha, your aim is off. Concentrate on the pillow. Make it the only thing in your line of vision." Skye frowned at her friend. Usually, she was hyperactive in class and her mind wandered onto things she considered more important. Today, she was incredibly focussed and her spellwork seemed to reflect that. That last Knockback Jinx seemed to throw her a good couple of meters further than anyone was getting their pillows.

"You're not aiming for me are you?" Skye joked. She was trying to make light of the situation, since she guessed Tabitha would feel pretty bad sending her flying like that. Tabitha glanced down in shame, "Merlin's beard, you are aiming for me!"

"No!" She shrieked in panic. "It's just… I was thinking about you and I guess you became the object of my aim."

"Gee, thanks," Skye smiled back. "So, what's got you thinking about little old me then, eh?"

"Last night, you knew Filch was coming. Do you know why or how?" Her gaze was intense.

"Instinct? I don't know, Tabitha," she sighed.

"I have theories."

Skye's mouth twitched, "let's hear them".

"So, obviously you could be a seer. Like a real one that predicts the future and stuff or, have you heard of demiguises? Of course you haven't. They're, like, magical creatures but they have foresight and see the most predictable future, so maybe you're… well not a demiguise, but you have that sort of gift. Or maybe you can sense people, you know? You hear about rare magical abilities. Empaths and stuff. So maybe you sensed that Filch was coming that way or maybe you really are telepathic and you could hear his thoughts!" Tabitha's entire thought processes of the morning seemed to tumble out of her mouth in one long ramble.

"I think I understood about ten percent of that," Skye chuckled. Tabitha punched her in the arm.

"I'm serious, Skye. Has it happened before? What actually happens to you? Don't you want to know what this is?" She was like dog with a bone. She wasn't going to let this go.

"Well, once this guy went to fall off the counter back home and I suppose I saw that before it happened. I ended up rugby tackling him…" Skye blushed, but Tabitha nodded at her to go on. "Then, I suppose when I got my wand I knew which one was mine, but everyone knows that right? It feels right, doesn't it?"

Tabitha smirked, "Maybe, but if it was so normal why did you bring it up? You know this isn't normal!"

"But, the twins knew Filch was coming too. They knew going that way would get us caught and we can't all be these disguise things can we?" Skye pointed out he hole in her theory.

"It's demiguises," she muttered and sighed. "Ok, that one I'm going to have to think on."

"You know, if you do any more serious thinking today, I think your brain might explode," Skye teased.

"Ha, ha. I'm not letting this go, Knight. Soon, the Department of Mysteries will be calling on me for my powers of deduction since they'll be so impressed," she boasted.

"Right after they solve the mystery that is the workings of Tabitha Hart's mind," she chuckled.


	11. Chapter 11 - Always

**Chapter Eleven - Always**

"We could make a run for it," Mikey hinted. He didn't sound so sure though. Skye was pretty sure that if Tabitha returned to find them missing from their little nest that they'd made in the corridor, they would feel her wrath for days. Apparently, today was the day that all would become clear. They were putting Skye's abilities to the test.

"Just humour her would you. She'll let it go soon enough," Skye wasn't exactly concerned.

"But what if you start predicting everyone's future? You'll be like that crazy Divination teacher everyone talks about. Apparently, she predicts one student's death each year," he shuddered.

Skye scoffed, "I doubt it. You read that book. Real seers are incredibly rare and the future is… complex."

"Well, this is cosy!" A bright and cheery voice emerged from the darkness of the corridor.

"A little too cosy…" George raised his eyebrows expectantly at the two lounged on the floor, backs pressed against the wall.

"What are you two up to? Actually, don't tell me. Should we clear the corridor?" Mikey was already preparing to flee it seemed. Wise boy.

"We are here upon request by our favourite little Tabby cat," Fred explained.

"But why…" Skye didn't get a chance to finish her sentence.

"I suppose you're wondering why I gathered you riff-raff today," Tabitha beamed. She appeared to be holding a picnic basket.

"For a picnic?" Fred eyed the basket.

"I do love picnics!" George settled down on the blanket thrilled at the prospect.

"No." She shot the boys down. "We're here to test the prophetic abilities of my friend here. Now I've got a crystal ball, some tea from the kitchens, these Divination cards, and I borrowed some standard books from my brother."

As she listed her goods they appeared from the basket. Skye suspected most things had come from the Divination classroom. She guessed Tabitha didn't exactly ask for permission for these things though. She glanced at the book titles, _Unfogging the Future_ and _The Dream Oracle._ Lovely.

"Prophetic abilities?" Fred raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, yes, Skye might be a seer or something, so I wrote to my old naming Seer and she said we should test it, you know? Interpret some tea or dreams or something," she explained.

"Your family still use a naming Seer? My god, are you ancient?" Fred scoffed. A glance between Skye and Mikey confirmed they were on the same page. They had no idea what was going on.

"I think you might have missed the part where Tabitha said we might be in the presence of a great Seer, Freddie," he regarded Skye with interest. In response, she found great interest in the floor. Tabitha seemed to be busy pouring everyone a cup of tea.

"Drink," she ordered as she began to push cups into everyone's hands.

"Not that this isn't nice and all, but couldn't you have done this without us?" Fred inquired.

"You're the guinea pigs. Skye might know us too much, you know? Obviously, I'm destined for greatness. My future is obvious. You two, well, who knows? Also I wanted to know how you knew Filch was coming that night," Tabitha tilted her head.

The twins reaction was obvious. They glanced at each other at the corner of their eye and began acting shifty. Not suspicious at all. Fred began to drain his cup and shoved it into Skye's hand. His expression was a challenge, _let's see what you can do, oh great Seer._ Tabitha looked at her expectantly. Skye glared around her. Eventually her eyes sank to Fred's cup and thought about the question at hand: How had they known Filch was there that night. Honestly, it looked like loose tea leaves at the bottom of a cup.

"Umm… at a guess? It looks like a star," she guessed hesitantly. Tabitha scanned the pages of _Unfogging the Future_.

"There are about 50 different stars on this page." She turned the book around for Skye to see. "Does it look like any of these?"

Skye went with her best bet. Tabitha began to read aloud, "great distances, something that is unobtainable, a journey, magic, a messenger, hope, and guidance. So what does that mean, Skye?"

Skye glared into the cup looking for answers. She sighed, "I don't know. It could be any of those. Magic, maybe?"

George laughed, "Well you're not wrong. But I'm pretty sure magic could be the answer to most questions around here."

"Well, why don't you try reading the bloody leaves, then?" She huffed.

"Maybe we should look at something else? What about your dreams?" Tabitha encouraged her to go on.

"Tabitha, last night I dreamt that a bunch of foxes were running around Hogwarts to go see a Quidditch match. There was an entire zoo in the stands for crying out loud. I don't think that's going to be listed in _The Dream Oracle_ , do you?"

"I think that's our cue to leave," Fred said as he began brushing himself off as he stood. Skye wished she could leave just as easily.

"Come on, Tabitha. I can't just force it, you know? Look, if I get anymore feelings or something I'll let you know," Skye promised with a pat on her friend's back.

Unfortunately, Skye didn't believe that things were finished. She could see that from the glances of sympathy she got from the three boys as Tabitha continued to seethe in her anger.

XxX

Skye sat in a pit of gloom, her mood reflected by the bleak dungeon where they brewed potions. Usually, she quite enjoyed Potions, despite the fact that Snape merely deemed her work passable, but by now she realised that was the best she was going to get as a Gryffindor. Today, she would be lucky if she walked out of the class boil-free. Snape had warned them all that if someone didn't succeed in making the _Cure for Boils_ potion there would be no way to cure them all of the inevitability of their boil covered faces.

"Do you want me to go get your porcupine quills, Skye? Don't leave your potion alone for one minute."

Currently, their fellow Gryffindors had swarmed Skye, much to her embarrassment, taking turns to guard the potion that was the best chance of curing them of boils. However, all Skye could focus on was her best friend, sat beside her in brooding silence.

"Tabitha, have you added the slugs yet? It's just…" Skye's whisper trailed off as Tabitha scraped her chair back and headed towards the store cupboard.

Skye's eyes blinked rapidly, trying to clear her blurry vision. Wiping her eyes, she took a deep breath carrying out the final steps of her potion. As wafts of pink smoke rose from her cauldron, Snape called the class to order.

"Since you have all been so painfully slow at making such a simple potion we only have time to try a few." Snape's eyes swept the room assessing the smoke coming from each cauldron. "Hart, test your potion."

Skye took a deep intake of breath. Tabitha's potion was currently frothing with a red smoke rising from it. However, knowing Tabitha she took it as a challenge and scooped up the gloopy liquid into a flask. Staring Snape directly in the eye, she motioned 'cheers' to the class and went to down the potion.

"No!" Skye cried.

Before realising it Skye was off her seat, knocking the potion from Tabitha's hands. Unfortunately, it now smothered her own hands. Skye gasped as her hands began to sting, erupting in a severe case of boils. She grimaced as the Slytherins began to snigger the more her hands puffed up.

"How noble," Snape sneered. "Miss Knight obviously realised how pitiful your potion was, Hart. Unfortunately, it seems we have run out of time to test any other potions further. Class dismissed."

Skye tried to maneuver her pudgy hands to scoop up some of her potion, wincing as the boils spewed green sludge as they burst from the effort. Tabitha sighed, taking over to scoop up the potion.

"What do you think you're doing?" Questioned Snape. "I said class dismissed."

With a wave of his wand, Skye's cauldron cleared of her potion. Sniffling, she turned to clear up her potions equipment, her eyes stinging as much as her hands, before darting out the door in the hope to beat the crowds. Behind she could hear Tabitha yelling after her amongst the complaints of people she was pushing through.

Ahead, students filed from their classrooms, causing Skye to halt as she tried to desperately tug down her sleeves in the hope to cover her hands. Finally, Tabitha caught up to her, just in time to witness the tears streaming down her face. With a look of sympathy, her eyes darted around the corridor, rested on a broom closet, and motioned for Skye to follow. In the dark and dusty confines of the closet, Skye began to sob.

"Shh, shh. It's ok. Just drink this." Cooed Tabitha.

From her pocket came a vial of potion, similar to what Skye's had looked like.

"W-where did you…?" Sniffed Skye.

"It was Snape's demonstration potion. I swiped some halfway through class. I was going to sell it. You know how those third years get about their ache. Anyway, take it quick." Encouraged Tabitha.

Skye clasped the potion between her two hands and took a swig. The result was immediate, her boils clearing and the swelling slowly fading away. With a glowing smile, she embraced Tabitha, never before so thankful for her thieving ways.

"Look, I was an idiot. I just got too excited about the whole thing and I'm sorry for acting like a complete and total troll. Forgive me?" Tabitha's expression was a miss of remorse and hope, as she clasped Skye's now boil-free hands.

"Always," Skye smiled.


	12. Chapter 12 - Premonition

**Chapter Twelve - Premonition**

On a bright and clear winter's day, lines of students in scarfs of red or green made their way down to the Quidditch pitch. Beside her, Tabitha's energetic skipping mimicked the excitement in Skye's heart as she prepared to see her first ever Quidditch match. Even Mikey and Adam had sported red rosettes featuring Gryffindor's lion in their support of the first match of the season; Gryffindor vs Slytherin.

"You guys are going to LOVE Quidditch. It's amazing! Plus you're going to have to start learning the rules so you can appreciate how amazing I am at it when I join the team next year." Gushed Tabitha.

"Are you sure you want to? It sounded pretty rough when I was reading about it…" said Skye hesitantly.

"Are you kidding? That's what makes it brilliant. Only the ruthless can brave the Quidditch Pitch. That's why I make the perfect player. I'm smart, cunning and athletic." She mused.

Adam muttered something about being big-headed between coughs, causing the group to laugh at the completely oblivious Tabitha. Arriving at the pitch itself, the group spotted Fred, George and Angelina as they milled about, looking slightly green, prior to the match.

"Hey guys! Are you ready for the win?" Grinned Tabitha.

"Absolutely. Those bludgers won't know what hit them," Fred grinned, lacking his usual enthusiasm.

"Don't worry! You guys will be awesome. You wouldn't have made it on to the team otherwise," Skye reassured them.

As she said it, Oliver Wood came bustling up to them, eyes narrowed at the three second years.

"Come on, guys. The captain wants us all in the changing rooms for a talk," he demanded on approach.

"You mean that you want to rant at us about last minute tactics, while Charlie tries to restrain you?" Angelina moaned.

With a frown, Oliver took off, muttering about tactics, before realising the three were frozen to the spot and not following him at all.

"Err, I think you should probably go. Got a match to win, right?" Mikey cheered.

"Oh, er, right," stammered George.

As the three headed towards Wood, bursting out in a run as he grew impatient, Tabitha gave a long whistle.

"Well, we're screwed," she confessed.

"Tabitha! You can't say that. They're just nervous." Defended Skye.

"I do wonder what Charlie was thinking though. Three newbies in one year? Slytherin has a lot more experience. They obviously need me. Shame about the first year rule though." She sighed.

Skye shook her head as Tabitha grinned cockily. Deciding it would be best to scout out a place in the stands, Tabitha began to assess the best viewing point from the pitch. Glancing round, Skye zoned out, the pit of excitement in her stomach transforming into one of fear and darkness.

"Skye, are you okay?" Adam nudged her.

Despite being spoken to, Skye felt as it she was in another world entirely. Before her the Quidditch pitch was covered in flames, the woodwork falling from the stands as the flames devoured it entirely. The bright colours of each of the houses were turned to ashes, as the flags caught the embers.

Smoke caught the back of her throat as it filled the air, making her to cough and wheeze, until she felt as if she couldn't breathe any longer. Glancing up at the cloudy sky, the last thing she saw a flash of light hit the sky, causing the clouds to swirl and gather together.

Opening her eyes once again, Skye found herself in the exact same spot, the Quidditch pitch restored and the sky returned to its former glory. However, this time she was wheezing on the ground, struggling to suck in the freezing cold air.

"Someone fetch Madame Pomfrey. Skye, can you hear me?" Professor McGonagall's hands rested upon her back as Skye clutched at her stomach.

"Professor," Skye wheezed, her voice raspy. "The Quidditch pitch was on fire. The stands, the flags, everything was on fire."

"Can you walk to the hospital wing?" Asked McGonagall, as she glanced towards the gathering crowds daring them to come any closer.

"No, Professor. You're not listening. The Quidditch pitch is… is going to be set on fire," she gasped, finally parting the present and what was possibly the future in her mind.

Professor McGonagall stared at Skye wide eyed, eyes eventually hardening as she came to a decision.

"Madame Hooch, has Professor Dumbledore arrived at the pitch yet?" She questioned the flying teacher, currently in her referee uniform.

"Do not panic, Minerva. I am already here." Stepping out from behind the crowd, Professor Dumbledore emerged, face grave. Slowly he approached Skye, who finally had enough breath to sit upright. He leaned in closely, his voice hushed. "What did you see?"

"The Quidditch pitch was on fire. The flames were everywhere and by the looks of it the whole thing was completely wrecked." She whispered, haunted.

The Professor nodded and stood to address the whole school.

"This Quidditch match is cancelled. Please return to your dormitories immediately. You are to remain there until your head of houses say otherwise." As students began to shout their protests, Madame Pomfrey arrived, ordering about those in her way. "Madame Pomfrey, if you could escort Miss Knight to the hospital wing, I will be along shortly to speak to her."

With that, Dumbledore set off, most of the faculty following in his wake. Deciding against defying Albus Dumbledore, the students headed back towards the castle, some peering towards Skye, or casting dirty looks as Madame Pomfrey aided her to her feet. But for once Skye wasn't embarrassed at the attention. Instead, she was too traumatised by the images that were ingrained in her head.

XxX

Skye sat on top of the hospital bed, fiddling with the stiff cotton sheets as she waited for Madame Pomfrey to return. Despite Skye's insistence that she was fine, the school nurse insisted she remain in the hospital wing for the time being. Before long, approaching footsteps indicated the arrival of Professor Dumbledore, his robes sweeping the floor as he approached her bed.

"May I take a seat, Miss Knight?" His voice sounded grave as he indicated the space at the end of the bed. Skye nodded as she reshuffled herself to sit cross-legged at the top of the bed. "I know this is very hard for you, but could you explain to me the contents of your vision? Please, spare no detail."

Skye took a deep breath and recalled her vision, the burning, the suffocation and finally, the light that pierced the sky. At this final detail Dumbledore's eyes became narrowed as he thought upon what she had said, the silence deafening.

"After you left, the teachers conducted a full search of the Quidditch grounds in the instance that this event may have been the result of a student's actions. We didn't find anything of suspicion." He explained.

"So the match was cancelled for nothing?" Skye whined.

"No, Skye. Here at Hogwarts our students are our highest priority and their safety is paramount. The problem with the future is that it is incredibly hard to predict. Perhaps your warning prevented this occurrence, or perhaps it is still an event yet to come. We can't be sure." Dumbledore paused as if pondering the question himself.

"Do you really think I'm some sort of Seer, then?" Skye uttered in disbelief.

"Yes. That is something of which I am certain. It seems that as your abilities as a witch grew, so did your so called 'second sight'. Since this is your first instance of true premonition, it may be that it is your only one, or perhaps the start of many. For now only time will tell and I beg that you come to me at once if you experience anything of this scale again. Do you understand, Miss Knight?"

Gazing into the depths of Dumbledore's eyes Skye couldn't help but feel reassured. However, 'the start of many' echoed in her mind, leaving her feeling glum. By now, the whole school would be gossiping. Many had heard her exclaim that the Quidditch pitch was on fire and several theories would be floating about as to why the match was cancelled.

"I understand, Professor. Would it be alright if I returned to my dormitory now?" she asked.

"Yes, but please inform Madame Pomfrey first. She gets most discontent when I release her patients in her stead. Farewell, Miss Knight."

With a spark in his eye and a nod of his head, the headmaster rose to leave the hospital wing. Skye watched him, trying to consider his words to her. The fact that she was a Seer had almost been a joke between friends, but to hear Dumbledore confirm it was unbelievable. Now, the whole school probably knew. At that thought, Skye curled up and closed her eyes, content to hide out in the hospital wing for just a little longer.


	13. Chapter 13 - Weasley-Hart Collaboration

**Chapter Thirteen - A Weasley-Hart Collaboration**

As with any well kept secret, the whole school knew. Some students thought if Dumbledore believed her prophecies, that she was the perfect person to consult about exams or their love lives. Other preferred to gossip behind her back. That much she could deal with. The real problem were the students who taunted her; some going so far as to run in screaming about the Quidditch pitch being on fire, then howling with laughter at her panicked face.

To add to her misery, the Quidditch cup had been awarded to Slytherin, Gryffindor trailing by a mere twenty points. Everyone had soon realised the Gryffindor vs Slytherin match could have changed everything, so to add to her misery, she had to suffer the scowls of three houses and the thanks of one. The winter break couldn't have come at a better time, but as Skye returned to Hogwarts, she soon found that many Slytherins now thanked her for their lead in the House Cup.

Stirring her cold porridge, Skye barely looked up as Tabitha joined her at the table for an early breakfast. However, many others soon joined them, including Adam, Mikey, the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team, and a few choice others. There was only one conclusion Skye could come to; they were going to chuck her in the lake with the octopus.

"Looks like we're all here," Fred grinned at those gathered at the table.

"Yeah, but why are we here? I've already told you guys we asked for a rematch, but McGonagall said Dumbledore didn't want to risk it. I mean if the stadium does go on fire I'm sure the smoke won't reach us before we catch the snitch," Oliver reasoned.

"Shut up, Wood." Tabitha barked, fury in her eyes as Skye stopped stirring her porridge at the mention of a fire.

"Listen, we've got an idea. Everyone wanted a Gryffindor vs Slytherin match, right? Well, let's give them one!" George cheered.

"I guess you've got some sort of plan in mind?" Asked Charlie.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you a one time offer; a Weasley-Hart collaboration. With our evil genius combined we will pull off the ultimate plan for an after-curfew Quidditch match to ask the ultimate question; who truly won the Quidditch cup?" Tabitha declared dramatically, the smirk evident on her face as everyone's mouth dropped at the prospect.

"You're kidding," breathed Angelina.

"Nope. We got most of the details sorted out over Christmas break. We've already got routes mapped out from each common room to move students out of the grounds in groups of about twenty at regular intervals. We're hoping to designate some students good at charm work and experienced rebels to help out. We want it at the Quidditch pitch, but we had considered the Forbidden Forest." Fred began to explain.

"The Forbidden Forest? You've got to be kidding," exclaimed Mikey in a high pitched shriek.

"Calm down. The Forbidden Forest is an option, but honestly I prefer the pitch. My brother was telling me about the spells they use to conceal the Quidditch World Cup and I think with enough students from higher years on board we could replicate that. Concealment charms, noise-cancelling charms, I've even been looking at the muggle repelling charm and wondering if we can turn it into a teacher repelling charm." Tabitha's face lit up as she schemed.

"Can you do that?" Adam questioned Tabitha, wide-eyed.

"It's currently in development. That's all I'll say," she smirked.

"Ok, but I can see two major problems here. First of all, how are we going to get the brooms and the balls? Or how about the opposition? Do you seriously think this isn't going to blow up in our faces when we recruit a bunch of Slytherins?" Angelina stated bluntly.

"Like we said, everything is already planned out. As for the Slytherins, Tabitha assures us they won't back down at the challenge and then they're going to be wrapped up in this just as much as we are. Plus it's not like we'll be telling them everything." George responded.

"So, you really want to do this? March hundreds of students out of grounds after curfew, just for a Quidditch match?" Angelina asked in disbelief.

"Brilliant. When do we begin training?" Questioned Wood.

"We'll sort something out if we can get this thing off the ground. First, we need to spread the word to sixth and seventh years for spell work, the mischievous to help us smuggle students and general smart people so this actually works. No riff-raff in the early stages. Otherwise, this thing will be down the gutter before we even start." Tabitha gave each of them a piercing stare to rival McGonagall.

Soon, everyone began to disperse, loud whispers indicating to the small group left behind that their so called secret was about to become the talk of the school.

"Guys, I don't think this is such a good idea. Dumbledore wouldn't let us reschedule the match for a reason. How do you know that what I saw won't come true?" Skye's voice was stern, as much as she appreciated what they were doing for her, it really wasn't worth putting everyone's lives at risk.

"Skye, you were the one that told me that the future is difficult to interpret and even Dumbledore admitted that he was clueless as to how your vision was supposed to become reality. But here's what I do know; you're miserable because of it. Don't get me wrong, it's not your fault, and if you ask me the entire school are being right gits, but you can't let a vision dictate your life. You can't just avoid the Quidditch pitch for the foreseeable future, can you?" Tabitha said sympathetically.

Skye hadn't attended any of the other games, thinking it would trigger her vision to become reality. Instead, she had sat alone in the library, waiting for Tabitha and Mikey to return and give her a play-by-play. Mainly, Tabitha would reenact the whole thing and Mikey would translate any technical terms that they were both sure she was making up as she went along. Her favourite being the 'Woollongong Shimmy'.

"It's like every time you step into a car; you could crash it, but most of the time that doesn't happen. We could be waiting our whole lives for that car to crash, but just think of the places we missed because we were too scared to just get in and go." Mikey persuaded her.

"But I've seen the car crash, Mikey," Skye whispered, her gaze lingering on a spot in the far distance.

"So do the people who fear it. Some of them even experience it firsthand. That still doesn't stop them and it shouldn't stop you." George added.

"Plus, I'm sure we can practise some fire-extinguishing spells, just in case," Adam chirped up, earning him an elbow in the side from Mikey.

"No, he's right. I get what you guys are saying. I shouldn't let it stop me from going about my life, but I shouldn't just ignore it. We know the car crash might be coming, so we need to make sure the seatbelts and airbags are working, okay?" Skye glanced around at her companions.

"My knowledge of cars is kind of lacking, but I think I get the point," quipped Fred.

"So, are we doing this?" George asked.

"Count me in," Skye smiled.

XxX

Soon news of the match had spread like wildfire. Students had long forgotten their last attempt, their attention enraptured by the upcoming rebellion. Of course, some students refused to get involved. Fortunately, the students deemed 'bores' by Tabitha were largely outnumbered and were well aware of the consequences if they alerted a teacher. Percy Weasley was absolutely furious, making Skye wince as he yelled at his brothers for their 'outlandish behaviour'. However, the true breakthrough for their plans had come when Tabitha's brother, Toby, had approached them.

"You know Tabby cat, I find it quite rude that I had to find out about my own sister's evil schemes from a third year." He had approached them as they exited their last class of the day.

"No idea what you're talking about," she said with a look of pure innocence causing Skye to snort.

"That's alright. Just let me know when you need help setting up a meeting with the Slytherin Quidditch Captain," he called out.

This had Skye stop to a halt, much to the annoyance of Tabitha. So far their attempts to speak with the Captain had ended up in a shouting match between him and Charlie Weasley. To say the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry ran deep was an understatement.

"You could get them on board for us?" She asked him.

"I can get everyone on board. Charlie Weasley is a good starting point to branch out to the higher years, but you need me to get them to take this seriously," he explained.

Tabitha scoffed, "and how are you going to do that?"

"By getting the Ravenclaw higher years on board. If everyone knows we're a part of this then they know that they have some of the best spell casters in this school on board. We can perform the charms you need, improve the plans on how to secure the pitch, and teach everyone some stealth charms," he offered, leaning against the corridor wall.

"He's right, Tabitha. We need him," Skye admitted.

"As if you could do all that," Tabitha retorted.

Skye grinned as she took the challenge from Tabitha as the acceptance that she needed her brother's help. From there the whole school was buzzing with excitement. Chaos spread the halls on the day that representatives from all four houses gathered, accepting to put aside their differences to pull off the greatest mischief the school had ever seen. Even the Slytherins welcomed the challenge, adamant that they would remain victorious, the pressure from their house to maintain their reputation as cunning pushing them to be at the match on their own terms.

From there everything was in place; the spell workers focussed on their charms, the Prefects prepared to chaperone their houses, and the Weasley-Hart collaboration schemed. Even the prospect of looming exams couldn't quell the student's excitement. As the trio left their last exam, the outcome of the Goblin Wars long forgotten, they could hardly contain their grins, knowing that they were about to make Hogwarts history.


	14. Chapter 14 - The Midnight Match

**Chapter Fourteen - The Midnight Match**

If someone had told Skye she would be spending her final week of first year breaking into a teacher's office she would have laughed them off. Now, she was practically quivering with fear as she watched Fred and George tackle the cabinet in Madam Hooch's office.

"I can't believe we're doing this," she groaned.

"Honestly, Freddie. You'd think she didn't trust our ability to break-and-enter." George grinned as he watched his brother work.

"Excuse me for having a normal reaction to theft," she scoffed.

"It's not theft. We're just borrowing them. We'll make sure to put them back." Fred assured her as he picked the lock.

Skye was surprised picking a lock was actually a thing. Where the two had learned this particular skill she didn't want to ask. She shuddered as she recalled how excited Tabitha had been when they told her how they were going to pull this off. Skye had to wonder if she was the only normal person around this place as her best friend practically begged them to teach her how to do it too.

"Got it," Fred cheered as the cabinet swung open, revealing the familiar case that contained the four Quidditch balls.

The three students made their way out to the corridor, joining Lee and Tabitha, who had been watching the halls.

"About time. I was starting to think you'd ran for it," Tabitha quipped.

"Nah. We just couldn't stop Skye preaching at us to use our skills for good," George joked.

"Don't worry. She'll soon learn it's so much more fun to be bad," Tabitha retorted with an evil grin.

Skye found herself wondering how she got stuck with such bad influences as friends. With a shake of her head, they set off to join the crowds at the Quidditch pitch. On approach, Skye wouldn't have thought anything was amiss. However, as they penetrated the magical barrier that surrounded the pitch she was startled by the roar of the crowds and bright lights that illuminated the grounds.

Upon seeing them, students began to woop and cheer, congratulating their group on their success in retrieving the case. In that moment, Skye felt like a hero as students she didn't even know were patting her on the back. She could practically feel the heat radiating from her face. Of course, Tabitha took it in her pride, waving with the dignity of a queen being worshipped by her people. Weaving her way through the crowds, Skye spotted Adam and Mikey who were talking amongst themselves, each holding a box of popcorn.

"Hey guys. What's with the popcorn?" She asked.

"Well, the Hufflepuffs thought it might be a good idea to provide snacks," Mikey grinned. "We've got a bottomless cauldron of popcorn, an assortment of sweets, and we even charmed the fountains so you can get a mug of hot chocolate on your way in."

"That's brilliant," she chuckled.

"How come when they do something it's brilliant, and yet when I do something it's wrong, or stupid, or illegal," Tabitha complained with a huff as she approached.

"Simple. Their mischief involves food," she stated matter-of-factly.

"If that's all it takes, I'll be sure to bring snacks on our next adventure. Anyway, they want everyone to head to the stands and I'll have you know I've secured us some of the best seats in the house," she grinned.

Apparently, the 'best seats in the house' were in the stands where the teachers usually sat. Glancing around, Skye noticed most of the seats were taken by the higher years who lead the charm work, or those that helped a lot in organising everything.

"Is that your sister, Toby? She's so cute!" Came a high pitched shriek from the group of Ravenclaws.

Skye laughed as Tabitha scowled in the girl's direction, muttering about how she was going to curse her into oblivion. Unfortunately, there was little seating left in the area and the only free seats were in front of their group. Before Tabitha could even suggest heading off to join the crowds, the girl waved them over. Skye was just too polite to pretend she hadn't seen her, like Tabitha wanted.

"Look at them! There was no way we were that small." The girl sighed heavily. "I wish I could go back to first year. It feels weird that we won't be coming back."

"That's right. It's your last year, right Toby? Do you have any plans?" Skye asked to distract herself from the raging ball of Tabitha.

"Well, I've been to get a job at the Ministry in the Spell Registration office. I thought it might be good to start off there while I work on developing my own spells." He told her.

Skye gawped. "You _invent_ spells? That's amazing."

Toby grinned, while Tabitha let out an exaggerated yawn. Suddenly, a booming voice began to echo amongst the crowd.

"Good evening, Hogwarts students. This is your commentator, Lauren Powell, signing on for the greatest match of Quidditch ever to be played at Hogwarts." Skye watched as the players headed out onto the field, each of them holding a broomstick. "Today's match will be refereed by the Hufflepuff in the black and white stripes. Now let's all give the ref a big cheer, shall we?"

The crowd roared as the Hufflepuff boy mounted his broom to perform a loop, before returning to the ground. Skye watched as the players mounted their brooms, swiftly followed by a sharp whistle that sent the crowd nuts.

"And they're off! Captain Snake Man is the first to grab the Quaffle, immediately passed on to the guy whose name sounds like puke. Oh, nice interception there by Gryffindor's sass pants, but ouch, she is intercepted by a Bludger courtesy of Slytherin's beater, Buffy."

"Err… why is the commentator calling Angelina sass pants?" Skye questioned Tabitha.

"Lauren can't remember anyone's names. Usually McGonagall helps her out, but I think this is way more entertaining," Mikey explained, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Skye couldn't contain her joy as she watched everyone race about on their brooms. Tabitha had been right; Quidditch was amazing. Not that she would ever play herself. Skye had flinched whenever someone kicked a ball close to her in primary school. Merlin knows what she would do if she was on a broom, high up in the air when a bludger came swooping at her.

"Looks like Speedy Gonzales is down for the count for Gryffindor. One chaser down, and it's not looking good for the red lions with the score currently at 70-10."

Despite the fact that they were losing, Skye cheered with the rest of them, shouting words of encouragement, while Tabitha threatened their lives. After an outrageous number of fouls, quite a few death threats towards the ref, and an incident involving a rogue owl on the pitch, the score was 210-90 in Slytherin's favour. According to Tabitha, the only way Gryffindor could redeem themselves was if Charlie Weasley caught the snitch.

"Redhead Hotness has just seen the snitch!" Lauren announced, causing the entirety of the spectators to get on their feet.

Tabitha was screaming, holding Skye's arm tight as they all watched Charlie dive. Unfortunately, the Slytherin Seeker, deemed 'Higglypuff' by Lauren, was right on his trail. Skye could barely keep track of where they were aiming their hands, only mere glints indicating there was anything there at all as they skimmed the ground.

"Looks like Buffy is trying to distract Redhead Hotness with a well aimed bludger. Watch out!"

The commentator gasped as the scene unfolded; both Fred and George had charged into the area to defend their Seeker, the Slytherin Beaters, 'Buffy' and 'Butch' had prepared to retaliate, the whole of the Quidditch field rushing in to defend their Seekers. Skye gasped as they clashed in the air, a mound of bodies and brooms hitting the ground.

The whole stadium went silent. They were watching. Waiting.

"They're okay!" shouted Lauren, causing the loudest eruption of cheers so far. Everyone watched as the players unravelled themselves, the final players to emerge were the Seekers. "But not only that, Higglypuff has the snitch. Slytherin win!" She announced, causing three quarters of the crowd to groan.

"What!?" Tabitha cried in outrage. "I demand a rematch."

Skye smiled at her seething friend as she ranted and raved about the injustices of the world, when a familiar gut-wrenching feeling hit her.

"Umm… Guys. I don't feel so good." She said hesitantly.

"Did you eat too much popcorn?" Adam asked her.

"No. I, I think something is trying to tell me that we're about to be caught," she admitted.

Behind her Toby cursed, "are you sure?"

Skye nodded, feeling guilty. Suddenly, red sparks erupted from the perimeter of the pitch that was closest to the castle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tabitha questioned her brother.

"It means Skye is right. Someone is coming from the castle." He confirmed with a grimace.


	15. Chapter 15 - Too Close To Call

**Chapter Fifteen - Too Close To Call**

Hundreds of students watched on the perimeter of the enchantments as Argus Filch drew nearer, the only indication to his presence being the light of the lantern he was holding. Every student held their breath, not daring to utter a word, their only hope was that someone would come up with the ultimate plan to escape.

"Alrigh' there, Argus?" Filch jumped as Rubeus Hagrid emerged from the darkness. "I thought I told you to stop comin' round 'ere. There ain't no Quidditch match goin' on. Do ya understand?"

Skye's eyes widened as she realised Filch must have overheard some students talking about the match. He could have been coming out here to check the pitch for months for all they knew.

"Mrs Norris is agitated, Hagrid. She's been fidgeting all night. I know those brats are out here," the man sneered.

"Look 'ere Filch. I'm the groundskeeper and I think I'd know if the 'ole school were running 'round. Now, get out of 'ere." The giant of a man ordered.

Slowly, the bright light of the lantern faded back to a speck, until it vanished completely. Hagrid himself watched it for a while, before heading in the direction of his hut. Collectively, there was a whoosh as the entire school remembered to breathe again.

"There's no way Filch will give up. We need to get back to our dormitories before he comes back," Toby ordered everyone loudly.

"Champions first." Captain Snake Man, as many had come to known the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, strutted past, his Quidditch team following his lead as he exited the boundary of the enchantments. Toby yelled at him to wait, but his boldness had sparked a mass exit from the Slytherins. Panicked, the other houses followed.

"Oh, brilliant. That's not obvious at all. Just a couple of hundred students all walking the halls at the same bloody time," Toby muttered, voice drenched in sarcasm.

"Well, just look at the bright side," Fred started brightly.

"And what's that?" Toby asked bluntly.

"They can't catch us all," George finished.

XxX

Skye was starting to think it was some sort of miracle that the teachers weren't aware that the whole school was wondering around the corridors. Their group, now consisting of Skye, Tabitha, Lee, Fred and George, had managed to run into three groups of students so far. Fred and George almost seemed gleeful when they ran into them, as if they had done it on purpose. Skye scowled as they laughed at her startled expression, convinced her heart was going to give out at any second from shear stress.

"Are they crazy? If I didn't have to help you guys put the damn balls back, I would have ran to the common room before you could say Gryffindor," she whispered.

"Come on, Skye. Live a little. Enjoy the view," Fred told her.

"I like the view from the common room, thank you very much," she muttered.

Back in Madam Hooch's office, Skye watched as George slid the case back in place and proceeded to close the cabinet, a light click indicating that they had completed their mission. Having returned the case to its rightful place, Skye was slightly relieved as she, Fred and George exited the room. She could just picture her comfy double bed and dreamed about snuggling down in her sheets. However, as Tabitha came running around the corner, her bed had never before seemed so far away.

"Snape's coming!" She panted, clearly out of breath.

"Snape?" Skye squeaked.

"Quick, get into the office," Tabitha commanded, pushing Skye half way through the door.

"Err guys, what are we going to do about that?" Lee asked, indicating a set of muddy footprints leading into the office, clearly left by two filthy twins, who still donned their Quidditch robes.

"Idiots. You probably lead him right to us," Tabitha hissed.

Skye's gut twisted as she heard approaching footsteps in the far distance. With a panicked look towards Tabitha, Skye saw her friend's chocolate brown eyes hardening in determination.

"Get into the office," she told her, fishing out her wand from her robes.

"Are you crazy? What are you going to do?" She shrieked, panicked.

Fearing that Tabitha was about to do something very, very stupid, Skye did her best to drag her friend into the office. Tabitha retaliated, giving her a glare as she shook her off. Eyes focussed on the floor, Tabitha broke free, brandishing her wand with a flourish.

"Scourgify," she muttered.

Skye stood there open-mouthed as the footprints vanished. Before she knew it, she was being pulled into the office with a sharp tug. Skye stared at the door feeling extremely stupid. Realising this wasn't the time, she joined the group at the door, ears pressed against it as they listened out for Snape. His footsteps could be heard instantly and appeared to stop somewhere close. Skye could just picture him reaching for the door handle…

"Professor Snape, I've just seen some Ravenclaw students in the corridor," came the voice of Filch, shouting from afar from what Skye could gather.

"Then, why did you not follow them?" Snape sneered, his footsteps now heading in a different direction.

The group could hear Filch's staggered apologies as they walked away. George nodded at the group, indicating it was time they head out. With a quick peer around the door, they ducked out, the minutes ticking by as they headed towards their common room, as quickly and stealthily as they could.

"Are you guys going to explain what was happening back there?" Fred asked them, as he dropped back from peering over George's shoulder.

"Well, my plan was to clear the floor by trying out one of my dad's cleaning spells. What did you think I was trying to do, Skye?" Tabitha questioned her, eyebrows raised.

Skye stuttered, feeling her face turn the colour of beetroot. George proceeded to tuck something back into his Quidditch robes, waiting for them to catch up and, clearly, waiting for Skye's answer.

"I, I… Um, I didn't mean." She took a deep breath. "I thought Tabitha was going to duel Snape, or, or knock him out, or something."

"Oh, Skye. You flatter me," she drawled, resting her hand on her cheek and raising her shoulders, as if complimented.

The group began to laugh, comforted by the home stretch to the Gryffindor common room. Rounding the corner, the group stalled at they saw Mrs Norris, beady yellow eyes fixed on their group as she sat below the portrait that was their point of safety. The cat began to circle, her mews echoing off the corridor walls, calling out to her owner.

"Petrificus Totalus," Skye called, brandishing her wand that had been stuck up her sleeve.

"Oh Merlin…"

"Did you just?"

"Bloody hell."

The boy's reactions were instantaneous, their shock evident by their wide eyes and dropped jaws. From her side, Skye heard a familiar creak as the entrance to the Gryffindor common room opened. Many students were peering out, each of them a witness to Skye pointing her wand at an immobilised Mrs Norris, flat on her back, looking like a stuffed animal.

"That… was awesome." Tabitha complimented her with a pat on the back.

"What are we going to do? We can't just leave a paralysed cat outside the Gryffindor common room." She shrieked, shocked at what she had done.

"It's fine. It's a temporary spell. It shouldn't last too long. Now, are you guys going to get in here, or hang around waiting for Filch?" Asked Charlie, arm folded as he stood staring at them from inside the common room.

Getting their priorities in order, the group climbed through the portrait into the Gryffindor common room. Skye could already feel the flush on her cheeks as word spread around about what had just happened for anyone that couldn't see. Embarrassed, she found herself wondering if her flush could work in her favour, allowing her to blend in with the red furnishing.

"I can't wait to tell Mikey you took out Mrs Norris," Tabitha grinned.

"I didn't mean too! I just wanted her to shut up," Skye whined, embarrassed.

"What, and 'silencio' wouldn't have worked?" Fred laughed.

Blank faced, Skye's mouth formed an 'o' shape as she realised how much of a better plan that would have been.

"Skye, you're my hero," George chuckled with an affectionate ruffle of her hair.

"Well, you guys are my heroes." She smiled at the three friends that stood before her. "I never would have gone back to that Quidditch pitch if you hadn't have done this for me. I don't know how I can thank you enough."

In that moment, Skye truly realised what she had done that night. She had conquered her fear and defied premonition. Tears welling up in her eyes, she wrapped them all in a loving embrace.

"Well, you could take out Mrs Norris for us…" George joked, the blush on his ears slowly fading away.

"Oh, wait. You already did that," Fred mused.

"I am never going to hear the end of this, am I?" She asked with a shake of her head.

"I'm sure people will forget once they hear what I've got planned for us next year," Tabitha teased, causing Skye to groan.


	16. Chapter 16 - Fond Farewells

**Chapter Sixteen - Fond Farewells**

As Skye entered the Great Hall with Tabitha, she grinned as Mikey came running up to them from the Hufflepuff table.

"Someone better call the pet protection agency," Mikey decreed with a grin.

Skye rolled her eyes, regretting the fact that her stunt was getting as much attention as a midnight Quidditch match. Apparently, the entire student body could recall some sort of run in with Mrs Norris, making them wish they had immobilised the cat themselves. Mrs Norris herself had not been happy at all, hissing whenever she caught sight of Skye in the hallway, earning herself deadly glares from Mr Filch.

"Have they managed to charm the fountains back, yet?" Skye shot back.

It turns out that while everyone had been busy scrambling to return to their common rooms, no-one had remembered to remove the charm on the fountains so that they stopped spouting hot chocolate. The entire Hufflepuff table had looked horrified with themselves as Hagrid had bustled in for breakfast, asking if Professor Flitwick could take a look at it with an amused smile.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish we could stay at school this summer," Tabitha sighed.

"Me too. I'm going to miss you guys so much," Skye sniffed.

"We'll all write to each other though, yeah? Make sure we keep in touch?" Mikey asked them.

"Of course. How else am I supposed to keep you updated about my busy life?" Tabitha scoffed.

With that the students were called to settle into their seats, Albus Dumbledore gazing at them over half-moon spectacles, a silvery glint in his eye.

"All too soon another year comes to an end at Hogwarts. Hopefully, we can each take something from this year, whether it be a small piece of knowledge or a fond memory," at this the old man's eyes twinkled, leaving Skye to wonder if he was thinking of anything in particular. "But before we can go off gallivanting, the House Cup stands to be awarded."

Everyone was already well aware that Slytherin had won the House Cup, the snake emblem dominating the furnishing of the Grand Hall. Unfortunately, their midnight stroll around the school grounds had not gone completely unnoticed. Many had been caught by Snape and Filch, yet somehow the Slytherin hourglass looked just as full as it was before. Tabitha suspected Snape had turned a blind eye to any roaming Slytherins that night.

However, Gryffindor was far from letting a mild inconvenience, such as coming last place, ruin their fun. They clapped and whooped, bringing a smile to the face of Albus Dumbledore, who had to hush them to announce Ravenclaw in third place and Hufflepuff in second.

Skye spent the last few hours of her first year laughing with her friends, silently conversing with Mikey from across the room, while Tabitha pulled faces, and joining in with glee as the Weasley twins decided to break out in a rendition of the Hogwarts school song. Never before had Skye felt so bitter-sweet, cherishing her last moments of first year, she and Tabitha bid Mikey a fond farewell before heading up to bed.

XxX

"Honestly, Skye. Cheer up," Tabitha commanded, grasping Skye's cheeks in an attempt to mould her face into a smile.

From the moment the train had pulled away from the station at Hogsmeade, Skye had stared outside the window, glum.

"Yeah, don't waste the last few hours we've got together all miserable," Mikey teased.

"Sorry," she sighed. "It's just that I've never really had a home before. Hogwarts has felt like the closest to one that I've ever had."

"What do you mean you've never had a home before?" Mikey asked, hesitantly.

"My dad died when I was kid and my mum's not very well, so I live in a kids home," she explained. "Sorry I didn't tell you."

Tabitha responded by wacking her on the arm.

"Don't apologise. You have nothing to apologise for. It's none of our business, not that we don't want to know, but you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I mean, we kind of suspected you didn't have a normal home. Ah, not that where you live isn't normal," Tabitha rambled on.

Skye giggled as Mikey face-palmed, followed by a shake of his head.

"What Tabitha is trying to say is that it doesn't matter if you don't have a proper home. Your home is with your family, and that's with us." Mikey smiled sweetly.

"Thanks, guys. So you knew the whole time?" She inquired.

"We guessed. The only person you ever really seemed to talk about was Helen," Mikey shrugged.

"Yeah, and I felt so awful when Mikey mentioned it to me after Christmas. I can't believe how oblivious I was. I felt so guilty, especially when I realised that if I'd noticed sooner you could have come home with me. But let me make it up to you, okay? Maybe you could stay with me for some of the summer? We could all meet up!" Tabitha blabbed, excitedly.

"Seriously?" Skye gasped, hardly believing her luck.

"Of course! I'm sure we could sort something out between us. I could teach you how to play Quidditch!" She enthused.

"Erm, well I'm not sure about that, but I would love to come. Do you think your parents would be ok with it?" She asked.

"It's a done deal, Skye. My parents don't stop asking about how you are and I don't think my brother was joking when he said he wanted to swap us…" Tabitha scowled.

"Brilliant," Mikey grinned.

As the three chatted happily about how they could all meet up over the summer, they barely noticed two heads peering in through the window. At the sliding of the door, they paused, watching as the Weasley twins entered the compartment.

"Hey, guys. Want a sweet?" Fred chuckled as he held up two familiar chewy sweets, one red and one blue.

"Even if I hadn't fallen for that before, I'm well aware not to accept anything from to two of you by now," Mikey scoffed.

"Look at our little Mikey, Freddie. All grown up," George boomed with pride, wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye.

"How about we make this a little interesting," Skye suggested with her best impression of Tabitha's evil grin.

"Oh, I love it when Skye schemes," Tabitha sighed, amused.

"How about a little Russian roulette. I've got actual sweets that look just like these," she informed them.

"Now we're talking," Fred accepted the challenge, rubbing his hands together.

Soon enough they were all facing off against each other, five identical looking fruity chews in hand. Three of them were your typical flavours; strawberry, cola and orange, while the other two were the magical variety; one of green packaging and the other purple.

"Ready?" Mikey asked. They all nodded. "Three, two, one, go."

They all popped their chews into their mouths, each of them studying the other for any signs that something was wrong. The first to react was Tabitha, her face began to scrunch up as if she had been sucking on lemons, her skin becoming a shade to rival The Hulk. A second later, Fred's face started to slacken, as if his muscles became paralysed, his skin rivalling Barney the Dinosaur. As his jaw dropped open, he started making a long and dopey 'duhh' sound that would only go away if he forced his mouth shut with his hands. As everyone burst out in laughter, a high pitched titter came from Tabitha.

"Guys, I think my face is stuck," she squeaked as if she had been sucking on helium, face still scrunched up.

Wiping away the tears in her eyes, Skye Knight could hardly contain her laughter, forever grateful that in a small train compartment of the Hogwarts Express, she had managed to find her family, her crazy, delirious family, all by herself.

 **Authors Note**

Hello! I eventually glaze over at author's notes on each chapter, so I thought I would do an end one. First of all; thank you so much for reading this story. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did you will be pleased to know the Year Two story is now up, so please check it out if you're interested - s/12957368/1/A-Knight-to-Remember-Year-Two-Hogwarts

I would like to dedicate this story to my commenter who goes by Potatoes! Your comment made me happy enough to finish the whole thing off and do a big edit. Good luck with your exams, my friend.


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